President Bola Tinubu is moving swiftly to finalise the appointment of new ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions across the globe, after months of diplomatic vacancies and mounting pressure. Insider sources say the presidency has ordered a “final cleanup” of the nomination list prior to its public release.
According to officials close to the matter — speaking on condition of anonymity — the original list submitted to the Nigerian Senate required revision. Some nominees were reported to have died, others were no longer eligible due to retirement or insufficient remaining service time.
While security and background checks had reportedly been completed months ago, the need to revise the list emerged only after these disqualifications. One senior official confirmed the process “can be completed in a week; it doesn’t take long to re-verify new names.”
The urgency surrounding these appointments comes more than two years after Tinubu’s September 2023 decision to recall all ambassadors from Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions—including 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates—as part of a sweeping diplomatic review. Since then, many of Nigeria’s overseas missions have been led by chargés d’affaires or senior consular staff with limited negotiating authority.
Compounding the situation, diplomatic strain has recently emerged between Nigeria and the United States. Former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened possible military action in Nigeria over alleged killings of Christians, labelling the country a “Country of Particular Concern.” While officials stress the ambassadorial void did not cause this tension directly, they acknowledge that having fully empowered ambassadors in place would have improved communication during the crisis.
It is also revealed that Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, is slated to meet with the president at the State House to finalise the list. Once completed, the presidency is expected to issue an official statement on the appointments.
Funding challenges had delayed the appointment process earlier this year — with more than US$1 billion reportedly required to pay foreign service staff arrears, replace aging diplomatic vehicles, renovate embassies, and cover overhead operations.
Tinubu himself had earlier admitted the complexities involved, noting he could not satisfy all aspirants at once and acknowledged the need to balance political and professional interests in the appointments.
