By Obinna Uballa
Whispering concerns are rearing up within diplomatic circles over what some retired career diplomats and retired permanent secretaries called unusual delay in the formal presentation of letters of credence to President Bola Tinubu by designated foreign ambassadors-designate currently posted to Nigeria.
The situation, which comes amid heightened diplomatic unease between Nigeria and the United States, is raising some questions about Nigeria’s foreign policy coordination and global engagement under the current administration.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed worry that nearly two years into office, the Tinubu administration has yet to appoint substantive ambassadors to all Nigerian missions abroad, weakening the country’s diplomatic presence at a time of intense geopolitical competition.
A retired Nigerian diplomat who served in Europe told The New Diplomat that the delay has impacted negatively on Nigeria’s global standing.
“Our presence has been lost on the global stage. It is self-inflicted. We now negotiate from a position of weakness,” he said. “There are virtually no accredited Nigerian ambassadors anywhere in the world, and that is sad. Why is also the formal reception of foreign envoys being delayed?”
Although President Tinubu received letters of credence from various envoys earlier in 2025 – including representatives from Mali, the Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Tanzania, Canada, Ethiopia, the Vatican and Sierra Leone – sources confirm that at least six ambassadors-designate from some countries, including Japan, India, South Korea, Thailand and Bangladesh, have been awaiting the confirmation of schedules to enable them present their letters of credence to President Tinubu. Sources say this delay has been on for months.
Until a foreign envoy presents his or her letter of credence to the Head of State of a receiving or host country, he or she can’t function officially or perform duties or formally engage with host authorities, including government institutions
Recall that Nigeria has no substantive Ambassadors since October 2023 in any countries of the world.
Experts in diplomacy warn that this “ vacuum” limits Nigeria’s ability to project its influence, lobby for strategic interests, protect citizens abroad, and secure trade and investment deals.
Government officials have attributed the delays to budgetary constraints and but critics argue that the explanations are insufficient.
“How can a government that claims historic revenue gains say there is no money to appoint or nominate ambassadors?” ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, queried in a statement on Monday.
Diplomatic sources say most of the ambassadors-designate have already completed their pre-accreditation formalities, and no clear date has been communicated for President Tinubu to receive their letters of credence.
Meanwhile, The New Diplomat gathered that the Presidency is working to finalise the list of ambassadorial nominees for possible deployment to missions worldwide after scaling through rigorous security and diplomatic scrutinies, and checks in line with diplomatic protocols under the Vienna Convention.
