Tinubu to unveil Nigeria’s new ambassadors

President Bola Tinubu is expected to name Nigeria’s new envoys to key foreign missions in the coming weeks, according to senior presidency officials familiar with the process.

The development follows persistent public criticism over the prolonged absence of substantive ambassadors, which many say has weakened Nigeria’s diplomatic footprint — particularly in crucial nations such as the United States amid the alleged Christian genocide controversy.

Tinubu had in September 2023 ordered the recall of all diplomats from 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates worldwide to enable a major review of Nigeria’s foreign policy direction. But more than two years into his administration, the process of replacing them has faced repeated delays.

Since then, chargé d’affaires and senior consular officers have held the fort at various missions.

In April 2025, sources close to the President told our correspondent that government agencies had completed vetting the individuals nominated for ambassadorial roles, including security and background checks. Tinubu previously attributed the slow pace to the complex political balancing required for such appointments.

“I couldn’t appoint everybody at once and thank you for your patience. I still have some slots for ambassadorial positions that so many people are craving for. But it’s not easy stitching those names,” he said in September when he hosted members of The Buhari Organisation at the Presidential Villa.

Last week, multiple officials disclosed that Tinubu had ordered a “final cleanup” of the list ahead of its release. One of them said several nominees had since died or reached mandatory retirement age, forcing the Senate to return the screening list to the presidency.

Top aides involved in the process confirmed in separate interviews that the review was nearing completion and that the initial appointments would focus on major global missions.

“The final process is almost completed. The President is committed to making the appointments, and the announcement will come in the next few weeks. I wouldn’t want to specify two. However, only ambassadors to major countries will be appointed,” one source noted.

Another senior official said the list would be unveiled before the end of November but declined to give a precise date.

“The President has said they should clean up the list. I’m sure before the end of the month, it should be ready. There’s no point speculating. When it is ready, it will be officially announced,” the source added.

Part of the holdup in deploying new envoys is linked to the hefty financial outlay — estimated at $1bn — required to clear arrears owed to foreign service staff, address overheads, replace ageing vehicles and refurbish dilapidated embassy structures.

Earlier in the year, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar confirmed the financial strain, stressing that sending out ambassadors without adequate resources would be counterproductive.

To ease the burden, the 2025 budget earmarked N2.1bn for the posting and return entitlements of ambassadors and foreign service officers. It was also reported that N53bn was proposed for renovating 103 foreign missions, including chanceries, staff accommodation, residences, furniture and official vehicles.

Proposed allocations included N554m for Abidjan, N812m for Banjul, N555m for Brazzaville, N558m for Port of Spain, N576m for Caracas, N624m for Kingston, N567m for Libreville, N409m for Buenos Aires and N899m for Niamey, among others.

A July 3, 2025 letter from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation further showed that the Tinubu administration released $54m to support operations across 103 embassies and high commissions — with $46.14m for overheads, $9.58m for personnel costs and $282,829 for miscellaneous expenses.

However, with the year drawing to a close and no substantive ambassadors in place, concerns are mounting over the fate of the funds allocated to missions still operating without confirmed heads.

In October, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs summoned Tuggar and Heads of Missions to account for how the 2025 appropriations were utilised. The committee, in a July 24, 2025 letter signed by its chairman, Oluwole Oke, cited Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in demanding detailed expenditure records.

Earlier, the Oke-led committee had launched a probe into an alleged $2m contract scandal involving renovation works at the residence of Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.