President Bola Tinubu is set to appoint ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions worldwide after months of diplomatic gaps and growing pressure over the country’s absence of envoys abroad.
The President had ordered a “final cleanup” of the list of nominations prior to its dissemination, according to several Presidency officials acquainted with the development who talked to our reporter under condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to make public comments.
“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 also stated 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.
Security and background checks were finished months ago, according to another source.
However, after a number of nominees died, accepted new positions, or withdrew due to illness, a modification was required.
“The earlier list sent to the Senate is outdated.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.”
More than two years have passed since Tinubu decided in September 2023 to recall all of Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions, including 76 embassies, 22 high commissioners, and 11 consulates, as part of a “comprehensive diplomatic review.”
Since then, senior consular officers or chargés d’affaires, who have limited ability to represent Nigeria in formal discussions, have led the majority of missions.
“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 drive to finalize the ambassadorial appointments coincides with current diplomatic strain stemming from remarks made by former US President Donald Trump, who threatened military action in Nigeria due to reported Christian killings.
On Friday, Trump declared Nigeria to be a “Country of Particular Concern” in a post on his social media site.
He subsequently asserted that he had given congressional Republicans instructions to look into the issue and get back to him.
Trump announced on Saturday that he had given the U.S. Department of War instructions to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria regarding the purported murders.
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.”
The absence of Nigerian ambassadors, according to another presidency official, was not a direct cause of the conflict.
“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.
Foreign partners prefer to interact at the ambassadorial level, “especially in moments of crisis or negotiation,” the official continued.
Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is expected to visit Tinubu in the State House this afternoon, Tuesday, according to sources close to the President.
“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 federal government had completed vetting and security clearances. However, the appointments stalled due to funding shortages.
According to officials, over $1 billion was required to pay off foreign service officers’ arrears, replace outdated diplomatic cars, repair embassies, and pay for overhead.
The difficulty of striking a balance between professional and political interests in the nominations was already acknowledged by Tinubu.
“It’s not easy stitching those names,” Tinubu told members of The Buhari Organisation, led by former Nasarawa State Governor Senator Tanko Al-Makura, who visited him at the State House on September 2, 2025.
“I couldn’t appoint everybody at once. I still have some slots for ambassadorial positions that so many people are craving,” he said.
