By Abiola Olawale
After nearly two years of diplomatic limbo, the Federal Government of Nigeria has reportedly commenced the long-overdue process of screening nominees for ambassadorial positions to fill the vacant posts in its 109 foreign missions, including 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates worldwide.
According to a report by the PUNCH, the prominent names topping the list of candidates are Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, and Femi Pedro, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State.
The New Diplomat reports that this development comes on the heels of President Bola Tinubu’s recall of all career and non-career ambassadors in September 2023, a move that left Nigeria’s foreign missions without substantive heads for over 19 months.
The delay in appointing new ambassadors has not been without consequences. Since the recall, Nigeria’s foreign missions have been managed by chargés d’affaires and consuls-general, a stopgap measure that some analysts argue has diminished the country’s diplomatic clout.
Nigerian experts in International Affairs and Diplomacy have warned against delays in the appointment of substantive Ambassadors and High Commissioners who should be deployed to various countries to commence serious bilateral engagements on behalf of Nigeria.
However, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar had previously cited insufficient funding as a primary reason for the holdup, noting in 2024 that “there is no point sending out ambassadors if you do not have the funds for them to even travel to their designated countries.”
Meanwhile, according to a source quoted by the PUNCH, the Federal Government has reportedly commenced the process of conducting background checks on potential nominees for ambassadorial roles.
The source was quoted as saying that the vetting process is decentralized, with nominees reportedly required to report to the nearest Department of State Services (DSS) offices in their respective locations.
“They’re already doing security checks with DSS. When they have cleared security checks, we will release the list.
“Only those who have been cleared are announced. The process is ongoing. I know that we should have a list before the end of this month (April),” a source quoted by PUNCH reportedly said.
Also, a senior Presidency and foreign service officer who spoke with the PUNCH said although the complete list of nominees is highly classified, some prominent and controversial figures are being screened.
The official was quoted as saying: “They’re going to announce the appointments soon. They are being screened as we speak. The names of the nominees are highly classified for now because not every one of the names listed will eventually make it through.
“FFK [Femi Fani-Kayode] is on the list. These are some of the controversial names that have been put forward as well. Then there is Fola Adeola [founder of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc] and Femi Pedro too. They’re moving on with the process more quickly this time.”
As the purported screening progresses, expectations are high that the finalized list will be transmitted to the National Assembly for confirmation, restoring full diplomatic representation to Nigeria’s foreign missions.
This comes as the recent 14% tariff imposed on Nigeria’s exports to the United States of America by US President Donald Trump has triggered massive reactions from top Nigerian diplomats, economists and analysts.
Recall that Trump had on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping tariff policy, dubbed “Liberation Day,” imposing a 10% baseline tariff on all imports entering the United States, with additional “reciprocal tariffs” targeting specific nations.
Consequently, exports from Nigeria to the US will attract a 14% tariff compared to the 27% that the US government claims it receives from Nigeria. The tariff is set to take effect on April 9, 2025.
A former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and one-time Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland/Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, who recently spoke on the matter faulted what he called unprecedented delays in nomination and deployment of Nigeria’s principal envoys.
Similarly, another erstwhile permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and one-time Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union, Ambassador Paul Bulus Lolo, stated that the delay in appointing the substantive heads of the missions is unusual and has serious negative consequences for Nigeria.
He said: “I do not recall any time in Nigeria’s history as an independent country when its embassies and high commissions abroad have been for a long period as now without accredited ambassadors to head them.”
