The Presidency has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu will soon announce a fresh batch of ambassadorial appointments to fill key diplomatic positions across Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions.
This was disclosed on Sunday by the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, following sustained public pressure for the appointment of substantive envoys.
In September 2023, Tinubu ordered the recall of all ambassadors, covering 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates, as part of what the government described as a “comprehensive diplomatic review.”
Since then, most missions have been led by chargés d’affaires or senior consular officers, whose limited mandates have reportedly weakened Nigeria’s diplomatic reach.
With several foreign governments offering less recognition to chargés d’affaires, analysts say Nigeria has suffered reduced influence abroad, with reports linking the diplomatic vacuum to recent friction with the United States, including Donald Trump’s controversial comments about religious killings.
Responding to inquiries from Vanguard, Onanuga assured that Tinubu would appoint ambassadors imminently.
Asked how soon, he replied, “He is going to do it very, very soon.”
A presidency source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, hinted that the list could be released before the end of the week.
“The list may be released before the end of the week. The President is travelling this week; maybe it will be released when he travels,” the source said.
According to insider reports, Tinubu had already ordered a “final cleanup” of the list after submitting nominees to the Senate months earlier.
The review was necessitated by changes affecting some nominees, including deaths, retirements, and cases where individuals now have less than one year remaining in service.
Sources claim that the Senate had screened the nominees long before now, with security and background checks having been concluded.
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