Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - President Bola Tinubu is set to conclude the appointment of ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions worldwide after months of diplomatic gaps and growing pressure over the country’s absence of envoys abroad.
According to sources spoke on condition of anonymity as they
were not authorized to comment publicly said that the President had ordered a
“final cleanup” of the list of nominees ahead of its release.
“It is going to be concluded very soon,” one senior official
said.
The official explained, “They are just cleaning it up now
because since the time the President sent it to the Senate, some people on that
list have died, and some have retired and are no longer eligible for
appointment. Some of them have less than one year left in service.”
He added that the Senate had already screened the nominees,
noting that the cleanup was to ensure that no one due for retirement remained
on the list.
“The list of those screened has left the Senate long ago; it
has been returned to the President,” the source said.
Another source confirmed that security and background
clearances were completed months ago. However, a revision became necessary
after several nominees passed away, took new appointments, or opted out due to
ill health.
“The earlier list sent to the Senate is outdated. Some of
the nominees have died, while others are no longer qualified,” the official
said.
“The cleanup will ensure that the final list reflects those
still available and eligible. The process can be completed in a week; it
doesn’t take long to reverify new names.”
The development comes more than two years after Tinubu’s
September 2023 decision to recall all ambassadors from Nigeria’s 109 foreign
missions — comprising 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates — as
part of a “comprehensive diplomatic review.”
Since then, most missions have been headed by chargés
d’affaires or senior consular officers with limited authority to represent
Nigeria in formal negotiations.
“The truth is that most foreign governments do not give the
same regard to chargés d’affaires as they do to ambassadors,” a senior Foreign
Service source said.
“At a time like this, with many diplomatic demands, it is
crucial that ambassadors be appointed.”
The push to conclude the ambassadorial appointments comes
amid recent diplomatic tension following comments by former U.S. President
Donald Trump, who threatened military intervention in Nigeria over alleged
killings of Christians.
Trump, in a post on his social media platform on Friday,
announced that he was labelling Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern.”
He later claimed to have instructed congressional
Republicans to investigate the matter and report back to him.
On Saturday, Trump said he had ordered the U.S. Department
of War to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria over the alleged killings.
He wrote, “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the
killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance
to Nigeria, and may very well go into that disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’
to wipe out the Islamic terrorists committing these atrocities.”
Another Presidency official argued that the crisis was not
directly due to the absence of Nigerian ambassadors.
“That’s not to say the lack of ambassadors caused the recent
issues with the United States, but their presence could have made communication
smoother,” the official noted.
The official added that foreign partners prefer to engage at
the ambassadorial level, “especially in moments of crisis or negotiation.”
Sources close to the President also revealed that the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, is scheduled to meet Tinubu today
(Tuesday) afternoon at the State House.
Although The PUNCH could not immediately confirm the agenda,
one official hinted that it could involve finalising the ambassadorial list.
“When the President is ready to make that appointment, it
will be made public. The Presidency will release an official statement very
soon,” another official said.
In April 2025, The PUNCH reported that the Federal
Government had completed vetting and security clearances. However, the
appointments stalled due to funding shortages.
Officials said over $1bn was needed to settle arrears of
foreign service officers, replace aging diplomatic vehicles, renovate
embassies, and cover operational overheads.
Tinubu had earlier admitted the complexity of balancing
political and professional interests in the appointments.
“It’s not easy stitching those names,” Tinubu told members
of The Buhari Organization, led by former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator
Tanko Al-Makura, who visited him at the State House on September 2, 2025.
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