The Federal Government has commenced the deployment of consular officers to diplomatic missions worldwide before the anticipated release of the ambassadorial list.
This comes 14 months after 83 ambassadors were recalled in September 2023. Coming on the heels of President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration, a reassessment of foreign policy gave rise to the recall of the 83 ambassadors; both career and non-career from their posts in September 2023, but the subsequent appointment of replacements has yet to take place.
The envoys were instructed to return to Nigeria by October 31, 2023, marking a shift in diplomatic strategy and suggesting that the government was looking to realign its foreign engagements to better serve national interests.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, had said the ambassadors served at the President’s behest in their host nations and that it was the President’s “prerogative to send or recall them from any country.”
Tuggar added that it was part of a strategy to realign Nigeria’s foreign engagements.
The recall was done but it left a diplomatic void as no replacements have been announced ever since.
However, the delay in appointing successors has raised concerns.
In April 2024, the government appointed 12 consuls-general and five chargés d’affaires to represent Nigeria in 14 countries, but these interim measures fell short of filling the leadership vacuum in key missions.
Consuls-general and chargés d’affaires can handle routine administrative duties and oversee the day-to-day operations of an embassy, but they do not possess the authority or diplomatic weight to engage at the highest levels, such as with heads of state or critical international negotiations.
On May 28, the foreign affairs minister acknowledged the situation, citing a lack of funds as the primary reason for the delay in appointing new ambassadors.
A few days later, former Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Amb. Eche Abu-Ode, said any new ambassadorial appointments would depend on budget allocations.
“I guess the funds may be included in the supplementary budget, but for now, there is no clear way forward without funds,” Abu-Ode stated.
The prolonged absence of ambassadors echoes similar delays during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, where ambassadorial appointments took up to 20 months.
Some diplomats fear Nigeria’s international partners may interpret this prolonged inaction as a sign of instability or disinterest in global affairs.
This perception, according to them, can be damaging, particularly for a country that relies on foreign investments and international partnerships to fuel its economic growth.