President Bola Tinubu is set to conclude the long-awaited appointment of ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions, following months of vacancies that have left several diplomatic posts unoccupied and raised concerns about Nigeria’s representation abroad.
Reliable Presidency sources revealed that the President has ordered a “final cleanup” of the ambassadorial list before it is officially released.
According to the sources, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, the process is now in its concluding stages.
“It is going to be concluded very soon,” one senior official confirmed, adding that the delay was largely due to the need to update the list.
The official explained that several changes had become necessary since the original list of nominees was forwarded to the Senate for screening. “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, while others have retired and are no longer eligible for appointment. Some also have less than a year left in service,” the source stated.
He further clarified that the Senate had already completed its screening exercise and returned the list to the Presidency. “The list of those screened has left the Senate long ago; it has been returned to the President,” he said.
Nigeria has been without substantive ambassadors in several key foreign missions since the recall of previous envoys in 2023, a move that affected more than 300 diplomatic personnel globally.
