Eighteen months after President Bola Tinubu fired all of the ambassadors, the federal government has begun the process of vetting possible successors. They expect a formal announcement “very soon.”
Reuters was informed by people familiar with the matter that intelligence agents are currently investigating the backgrounds of potential nominees as part of the vetting process.
The information gathered is being sent to the appropriate legislative and presidential agencies.
In September 2023, six months into his administration, President Tinubu summoned all ambassadors, both professional and non-career.
Since then, he has named consuls-general and chargés d’affaires, but no new ambassadors.
Despite the absence of new appointments, foreign diplomats based in Nigeria have kept sending the president letters of credence.
Due to the lengthy delay, foreign officials and diplomatic stakeholders are worried about the leadership gap in Nigeria’s foreign embassies.
Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar had attributed the delay in ambassadorial appointments to financial constraints.
A government official told Reuters that “the appointment will be announced very soon” and that the money problem “is being resolved.”
An intelligence officer claims that Nigeria’s security forces have started looking into the backgrounds of candidates who made the short list and are informing key government offices of the findings.
When asked for a comment, a presidential spokesperson directed inquiries to the foreign affairs ministry, which did not provide one.
The sources requested anonymity since they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Since his administration started office in May 2023, Tinubu’s focus on economic change has eclipsed foreign policy goals, according to a former Nigerian ambassador who has served in both Africa and the US.
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The federal government has allocated ₦302.4 billion ($198.30 million) for its foreign missions in the 2025 budget.
According to the former diplomat, Tinubu has discussed with a number of international leaders the issue of Nigeria’s lack of ambassadors in their respective countries.
According to the former ambassador, “They have been assured that they will be appointed shortly.”
