President Bola Tinubu has received the final list of ambassador-designates and is now determining the timing for forwarding the nominees to the Senate for screening.

Multiple senior Presidency officials, who spoke anonymously with Punch because they were not authorised to comment publicly, confirmed on Tuesday that all security and background checks had been concluded.

One top official said, “The list is ready. It’s ready. It is now with the President, and it’s up to him.

“All those security checks, they are done with. But he has not mentioned when he wants to send it to the Senate.”

According to another source, the announcement will be staggered, with envoys to “major partner countries” released first, followed by others.

The official stated, “He cannot announce all the ambassadors at once.

“It is only those we intend to send to our key partner countries that will be announced, because the main reason why this thing has delayed is money. A humongous amount is involved in getting these ambassadors settled. So, we will send out those few ambassadors first and then others later.”

The Presidency is reportedly prioritising postings to strategic nations with significant economic, security and political relations with Nigeria.

Checks by The Punch revealed that Nigeria’s critical diplomatic partners include:

United States and United Kingdom – major crude oil buyers and security allies

European Union (notably France and Germany) – Nigeria’s largest trading bloc and supporter of governance and counter-terrorism efforts

China – a major financier of rail, airport and power infrastructure

India – one of Nigeria’s biggest crude oil importers and a growing ICT and pharmaceutical partner

ECOWAS neighbours – including Ghana, Niger and Benin, are crucial for regional stability and mediation

Sources say ambassadors will be deployed to these priority nations first due to the financial costs associated with full-scale diplomatic postings.

The move marks progress more than two years after Tinubu recalled all ambassadors in September 2023 from Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions as part of a “comprehensive diplomatic review.”

Since then, most embassies and consulates have been run by chargés d’affaires with limited authority to make binding commitments.

A senior Foreign Service source said, “The truth is that most foreign governments do not give the same regard to chargés d’affaires as they do to ambassadors.

“It is not that they are not important, but they are bureaucrats. They cannot make binding commitments on behalf of the country. At a time like this, we have many diplomatic demands; it is crucial that ambassadors be appointed. It won’t be long before the President does it.”

Another Presidency insider told Punch on Tuesday that Tinubu wants to ensure the timing of the appointments is not misconstrued as a reaction to recent threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to halt aid and consider military action over alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria.

The official said, “The President didn’t give a day he would appoint ambassadors.

“It will be ready soon. He also doesn’t want it to look like it is because of the Trump issue that he is rushing it.”