By Obinna Uballa
The Presidency’s sudden reversal of Usman Dakingari’s nomination as Nigeria’s ambassador to Turkey was driven by a realisation that Turkey is a strategic diplomatic post reserved for career diplomats, not politicians.
Presidential sources told The New Diplomat that the Turkish assignment is considered a professional posting, best handled by experienced career envoys. Dakingari, a former governor of Kebbi State, is a politician and not a career diplomat, which reportedly prompted the decision to rescind his appointment.
The reversal came less than 24 hours after the initial announcement, which had sparked wide attention because it was made ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s scheduled state visit to Turkey next week.
On Thursday night, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced that Tinubu had approved the posting of four ambassador-designates from the list of nominees earlier confirmed by the Senate.
The statement named Retired Colonel Kayode Are, former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), as ambassador-designate to the United States; Ayodele Oke, former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), to France; Amin Dalhatu, former Nigerian ambassador to South Korea, as high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom; and Dakingari as ambassador-designate to Turkey.
However, the following day, the State House issued a fresh statement clarifying that no ambassador had been appointed to Turkey. The new announcement reaffirmed the postings of Are, Oke and Dalhatu but omitted Dakingari’s name, effectively nullifying his appointment.
No official reason was provided for the abrupt withdrawal in the statement, but the emerging context suggests that the decision was driven by the strategic importance of the Turkish mission and the preference for career diplomats in such key postings.
Onanuga also disclosed that Tinubu had formally communicated the three confirmed appointments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, directing the ministry to notify the governments of the United States, France and the United Kingdom in line with established diplomatic protocols.
