President Tinubu Extends Stay of Recalled Ambasadors, Envoys by Three Months

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly extended the stay of envoys and career and non-career ambassadors by three months.

You will recall that on September 2, President Bola Tinubu recalled all Nigeria’s ambassadors, and asked them to return to the country on or before October 31.

However, VOP News gathered that the envoys were stranded as the Federal Government was foot-dragging on implementation and had not released Authority to Incur Expenditures, AIEs for their passages to them.

An ambassador, who craved anonymity, told Vanguard newspapers on Tuesday that the AIEs had been released but noted that there was no cash-backing, hence the extension of their stay till January 2024.

The ambassador said he feared that the three-month extension might not be adequate to complete the process of recalling and replacing ambassadors, which he said takes about six to eight months.

He, however, warned that poor handling of the policy could cause Nigeria avoidable international ridicule and embarrassment.

He said due to the initial challenges of every new government in settling down, the President Tinubu Administration has not had sufficient time to carry out necessary consultations for the appointment of replacements for the outgoing ambassadors.

The ambassador stated that the consequence is that if the envoys take their leave, by November 1, all the Nigerian missions will be without heads for a long time.

According to the ambassador, the implication is that if President Tinubu wants to go to another country, it will be difficult to make an appointment.

Lamenting that the Federal Government has not released allocations to the missions since June, the ambassador said the way out is for the government to follow due process