The Federal Government has completed the vetting process for individuals nominated to serve in Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions, including 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates around the world.
However, the official announcement of the nominees is yet to be made, as President Bola Tinubu has not transmitted the consolidated list to the National Assembly.
The PUNCHA reported that according to multiple sources familiar with the process, security and background checks by relevant agencies have been finalised.
A Presidency official, who spoke anonymously, confirmed, “They have finished the DSS checks. That part is done. In fact, we were expecting the names to be out by yesterday or earlier than that. But so far, it looks like he (President Tinubu) still needs a little more time. Our eyes were up for this week. But it is confirmed that the background checks are over.”
Another source corroborated this, saying, “The names were supposed to be out earlier than yesterday (Wednesday). We’re not sure where the delay is coming from.”
President Tinubu departed Abuja on April 2 for Paris, France, for a two-week working visit. During the visit, he is expected to assess his administration’s mid-term performance and key milestones.
“During the visit, the President will appraise his administration’s mid-term performance and assess key milestones,” said his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement.
Onanuga also noted that Tinubu would use the retreat to “review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary.”
Since September 2023, Nigeria has operated without ambassadors, following the President’s recall of over 83 career and non-career envoys after a sector-wide reassessment of foreign policy under his “4Ds” framework—Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora.
The selection process reportedly experienced setbacks due to funding challenges. Sources disclosed that an estimated $1 billion is needed to address various issues within the foreign service, such as salary arrears, maintenance of missions, acquisition of new vehicles, and renovation of embassy buildings.
One official stated, “You see, the major issue is money. Not money to pay them [ambassadors], because how much is their salary and benefits? The main money is CAPEX (Capital Expenditure). By the time they put the cost together to fix the issues, it is running to almost $1bn.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, also identified financial constraints as the key reason behind the delay in appointing ambassadors.
“It is a money problem,” Tuggar had said during a ministerial briefing in Abuja last May. He elaborated, “We met a situation where Foreign Affairs was not being funded like it should be. There is no point in sending out ambassadors if you do not have the funds for them to even travel to their designated country and run the missions effectively; one needs funding. Mr President is working on it, and it will be done in due course.”
While the list of ambassadors-designate is typically forwarded to the Senate for screening and confirmation, sources within the Presidency hinted at possible last-minute changes to the nominations list.
“What I learned is that there are some last-minute changes to be made because once you release names like these, it becomes embarrassing for the government to start changing and apologising. If you pick someone who turns it down, it could embarrass the President. I know we were expecting it on Monday and Tuesday. The names were expected this week. But I can assure you that the DSS and the other agencies have done the bulk of their part. If there are some remaining, it should be one or two. But they have done their part,” said one Presidency source.
According to The PUNCH, another high-ranking foreign service officer, who is familiar with the developments confirmed that the President is under pressure but remains cautious about committing the required funds.
“From what I have seen, the President is reluctant to do this because of the cost. He feels the money could be used for more pressing issues at home, such as domestic reforms. You know, there is a lot of pressure internationally from the diplomatic community, the diaspora and general stakeholders. He’d rather use those funds for domestic issues, which feel more urgent. It is going to be released. But it is not clear how soon. I’ll be quite surprised if they are deployed early in the year. The process is slow,” the officer revealed.
Meanwhile, Onanuga affirmed that the nomination process was ongoing and required due diligence.
“Don’t forget that the ambassadorial list has two components. There are career ambassadors and political ambassadors. The foreign affairs and consolidated list will still go through certain processes before it is released,” he explained.
Once the names are sent to the Senate, the Committee on Foreign Affairs will conduct interviews to evaluate the nominees’ qualifications, diplomatic experience, and readiness to promote Nigeria’s interests abroad. Following Senate confirmation, the envoys will undergo an orientation programme, receive their Letters of Credence, and be formally recognised by their host nations to commence official diplomatic duties.
