Tinubu Set to Conclude Ambassadorial Appointments After Months of Diplomatic Gaps

MOUTHPIECE NGR reports that President Bola Tinubu is finalizing the appointment of ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions worldwide, following months of diplomatic gaps and growing pressure. 

According to sources, the President has ordered a “final cleanup” of the nominee list ahead of its release. 

The delay is attributed to some nominees passing away, retiring, or no longer being eligible for appointment. 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, is set to meet with President Tinubu to finalize the list.

The appointment process has been ongoing since the President recalled all ambassadors from Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions in September 2023 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. 

The absence of substantive ambassadors has raised concerns about Nigeria’s diplomatic representation and communication with foreign governments, particularly in light of recent tensions with the US following comments by President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump, had 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.