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Stakeholders in the Nigerian project including former diplomats and foreign policy experts have bemoaned the absence of full representation at the ambassadorial level in the nation’s missions abroad, saying the development has been affecting the country’s foreign relations thrust.
They lamented that Nigeria is yet to know the value of full diplomatic representation, the reason why the Federal Government has refused to appoint Ambassadors close to two years now, notwithstanding that the influence of Nigeria has been declining on the diplomatic scene.
Since Nigeria recalled the envoys on September 2, 2023, Nigeria’s 109 diplomatic missions, comprising 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and one consulate have been without full diplomatic representation in the rank of ambassadors.
President Bola Tinubu had in April 2024, appointed 14 consuls-general or Chargé d’Affaires for 14 countries but did not appoint functional Ambassadors.
The chargé d’Affaires who are at the director level in the civil service have been running the missions for the country.
In May 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, said the paucity of funds was responsible for the delay in appointing ambassadors for Nigeria.
The minister said then that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was facing a significant financial and economic challenge, saying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not been receiving the necessary funding to operate effectively.
However, while speaking during the 5th edition of the 2025 ministerial press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, he said the nature of politics and governance is now responsible for the delay.
“We are in an unfortunate situation because Nigeria doesn’t know the value of full diplomatic representation.”
“What I can say is that it is what it is. It’s the nature of governance; it’s the nature of politics. You work with the circumstances in which you find yourself,” he said.
Reacting in their separate exclusive interviews with THE POINT, Nigerians in the know of foreign policies disagreed with the Federal Government, saying it does not have any tangible excuse not to have appointed new ambassadors.
A former Nigerian Ambassador to Philippines, Dr. Yemi Farounbi, described as unfortunate the fact that Nigeria is not being represented at the appropriate ambassadorial level for almost two years, disclosing that it is one of the reasons for the declining influence of Nigeria on the diplomatic scene.
The former diplomat wondered why President Bola Tinubu recalled both the political and career ambassadors that his predecessor appointed when he knew he would not be replacing them promptly.
He said the effective role of embassies and substantive diplomatic representation is lost in the country because leaders see appointment of diplomats as some compensation for political activities or retirement posts for some favoured persons.
“It is unfortunate that Nigeria is not being represented at the appropriate ambassadorial level for almost two years. Ordinarily, the immediate past ambassadors should not have been withdrawn when we are not ready with the new ambassadors. It is more worrisome because these ambassadors were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, a president on the platform of APC and the President Bola Tinubu belonged to the same party.
It is really ridiculous. At the worst, President Tinubu could have recalled only the political ambassadors, and left the career ambassadors.
“We are in an unfortunate situation because Nigeria doesn’t know the value of full diplomatic representation. That is why the budget of Nigeria for embassies and foreign affairs is considerably smaller than that of Ghana and Republic of South Africa. And this is one of the reasons for the declining influence of Nigeria on the diplomatic scene.
“Because we see appointment of diplomats as some compensation for political activities or retirement posts for some favoured persons, the effective role of embassies and substantive diplomatic representation is lost.
An Ambassador ought to be given a mandate of what Nigeria expects from a host country within the term of 3-4 years. It is that mandate that ought to dictate the quality of person that should be appointed to the country. Non-career political ambassadors ought to have special values and capacities because of the peculiar needs of the host country,” he stated.
Farounbi argued that the chargé d’affaires running the missions lack the commensurate weight and rank to meet with foreign ministers of their host countries, going by diplomatic protocols and procedures, because their ranking does not accord them the right to operate at the highest possible level in representing Nigeria in their host countries and in international fora.
Calling for a change of attitude by Nigerian leaders to diplomacy, the former Ambassador to Philippines and Kingdom of Cambodia during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan said “the subsisting lackadaisical approach” is “unfortunate.”
The renowned journalist advocated for proper funding of Nigerian embassies, urging the Federal Government to “make better use of the career diplomats” rather than political ambassadors.
He said, “Most times Nigeria does not know what it wants from a particular country. And that is why political, ethnic and regional balancing becomes more important than the meritorious capacity of the ambassadors. That is why Nigeria prefers to send delegations to do what the in-site ambassadors can do more effectively. That is why we can afford not to have ambassadors for almost two years. That is because we are ignorant of the fact that a Charge Affaires doesn’t have the full diplomatic authority in the host country.
“Our attitude to diplomacy must change in Nigeria. We must make better use of the career diplomats, and there are many of such in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We must use political ambassadors only when and where we need special aptitude and quantity, not just for regional or political balancing. Nigeria must be clear of what she wants from every country and these must be given to the ambassadors who must be debriefed at the end of their tour of duty. And Nigeria must adequately fund these embassies.
“The absence or non-deployment of principal envoys to man our missions abroad for a prolonged period sends wrong signals to the international community.”
“The subsisting lackadaisical approach is unfortunate, just as the partisan politicisation of appointment is not in the best interest of Nigeria.”
Also, a former Nigerian envoy to Ethiopia, Ambassador Bulus Lolo, welcomed the new development, saying Nigerians have been clamouring for it for long.
He said the appointment of Ambassadors to lead the country’s missions across the world was long overdue.
“It has been 18 months since Nigerian ambassadors were recalled and it has been long overdue.
“There is nothing like having a substantive officeholder, looking after an office but now that we are about to have ambassadors, it is welcoming.
“Usually, when a new government comes in, after the ministerial appointments, the next appointment that generates a lot of attention is the ambassadors. Then you have members of boards and other appointments that are made.
“We only hope that the Senate will fast-track the process,” he said.
A former spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who served as Ambassador in China, Mexico and Indonesia, Ambassador Ogbole Ode, said while it may be acceptable that diplomatic missions may stay without substantive heads for a short period, their absence for almost two years leaves so much to be desired.
“While it might be difficult to ascertain the real reasons for this delay, it is definitely a hard sell to attribute this to the paucity of funds due to budget constraints as the foreign affairs minister,” Yusuf Tuggar, was said to have told the mainstream media recently.
“The absence or non-deployment of principal envoys to man our missions abroad for a prolonged period sends wrong signals to the international community,” Ode stated.
On the pathetic state of Nigeria’s foreign missions, the former envoy said there has been a consistent downward trend in most of Nigeria’s endeavours as a nation.
“Consequently, the foreign ministry and its outposts in other climes cannot be different for the precise reason that they are Nigerian in content and in character. And don’t forget that foreign policy is an extension of a country’s domestic policy.
“The Tinubu administration is re-setting our buttons. Consequently, when the gains of the current policy exertions begin to manifest in the domestic front, such positive manifestations will be on display on the international stage,” he said.
Ode said the immediate implication is that foreign policy machinery will perform far below par.
Also decrying the non-appointment of Ambassadors 18 months after, a veteran career diplomat, who was Nigeria’s Ambassador to Sudan, Brazil, and Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Ambassador Sulaiman Dahiru, said, “Honestly, it is not normal for any country to leave its diplomatic missions abroad for so long without appointing ambassadors.
“It can be interpreted by other countries as down-grading of relations. A Charge d’Affaires is not an ambassador and there is a limit to the people he/she can interact with in the host foreign ministry. Therefore, our level of representation is not right.
“Some people have spoken about paucity of funds to appoint and send ambassadors abroad. I don’t buy this argument. It is possible that the foreign ministry does not command the attention it deserves. I personally believe that if Nigeria cares, it can effectively fund the ministry and the diplomatic missions abroad.
“The delay in appointing ambassadors is definitely negative on career diplomats, who will lose out because they may have less than two years to retire. This is not fair to such career diplomats. In most countries, the foreign ministry is the number one ministry. But in Nigeria, it is not so.
Why? Only the government can answer this question.”
While expressing the same view, a foreign policy expert, Dr. Oluyemi Omotosho Junior, said many foreign direct investments that ambassadors would have attracted to Nigeria have eluded the country, while bilateral relations between Nigeria and the host countries continue to suffer.
He said the absence of full representation at diplomatic missions and embassies shows that “Nigeria is not a serious country”, adding that the economic potentials and diplomatic relations of Nigeria and other countries of the world have been largely threatened.
Omotosho Junior, a former Dean, Students Affairs, The Federal Polytechnic, Ede, called for the immediate appointment of Ambassadors for the country as it is even affecting Nigerians in diaspora.
According to him, “Section 171 of the Nigerian Constitution empowers the President to appoint Ambassadors, Secretaries to the Government, and some other positions, in fact, sub-section 2 specifically mentioned that of the Ambassadors. We have about 109 Diplomatic Missions in the world, 76 of them are Embassies, about 22 of them are High Commissions and one is a Consulate. All these 109 have been without diplomatic representations in the rank of Ambassadors in the last 18 months.
“This is not good enough; it shows that this government is not serious. It was the government itself that removed them in September 2023. So, when you remove them, why don’t you replace them?”
Stressing the huge importance of having substantive envoys, the foreign policy expert said, “We need them for diplomatic relations with other countries, for political and economic relations with other countries, and we need them to engage in serious representation for the whole country in terms of investments and trade transactions.”
“Let me shock you, you know that President Bola Tinubu went to the United Nations General Assembly Meeting some time ago, he was there and he made a reasonable demand that Nigeria needs to be part of permanent members of the security council. Very good, you are making that kind of demand and we don’t have a permanent representative in the United Nations, so when you (Tinubu) leave, who follows up? Who discusses with the United Nations and the rest? So, you only made the political statement and you forget it there like that. It is not good.
Nigerians in diaspora react
Also, some Nigerians in diaspora have expressed different views to the absence of Ambassadors in their host countries.
While some urged President Tinubu to appoint substantive envoys to foster stronger cohesion and harmony between their host countries and Nigeria, others said they did not miss the diplomats.
A citizen of Nigeria living in the United Kingdom, Tunmise Ajiboye, disclosed that the charge d’affaires in the country cannot function in the capacity of a substantive diplomat.
He sought for strong political will from President Tinubu to do the needful.
In a chat with THE POINT, Ajiboye said, “We have been operating with an acting Ambassador for quite some time now. While this ensures that basic diplomatic functions continue, the absence of a substantive ambassador limits the full potential of fostering stronger cohesion and harmony between the two countries.
“Much like how a Permanent Secretary cannot fully replace a Minister, a career officer cannot effectively fill the strategic and high-level role of an Ambassador—especially in key diplomatic postings such as the USA and the UK. What is required is strong political will to address this gap and appoint a substantive ambassador who can drive deeper bilateral relations.
“I want to simply commend Mr. President for his work so far and plead with him to give us a substantive ambassador as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, another Nigerian living in the United States of America, who spoke to THE POINT on the condition of anonymity, said they have not felt the impacts of Ambassadors even when missions had full representation.
She alleged that the envoys had only paid attention to elites.
“The truth is that we in the US don’t miss these Ambassadors because even when they were here, they didn’t see to the needs of common Nigerians abroad, they only attended to elites. So, their absence has not been felt.”
A legal practitioner, Celestine Iloh, told THE POINT that other countries would have recalled their own Ambassadors, too, if they thought there are no repercussions to doing so.
Iloh also said that with the absence of Ambassadors at its foreign missions, Nigeria was giving other countries the impression that it is an unserious county.
“The absence of full representation at the ambassadorial level in Nigerian missions abroad is affecting Nigeria.
“If recalling Ambassadors did not have repercussions, other countries of the world would be emulating us by now. They would have also recalled their own ambassadors. But vast majorities have not done so and it simply shows that serious-minded countries still exist.
“And you know that the impression you make on people matters a lot. If we appear to other countries as a people who are finding it difficult to put our house in order, they will not take us seriously,’ Iloh said.
He added, “I don’t often criticize the government, but I think that the time to appoint Ambassadors is now. How much longer must we wait?
“The government told us that the economic situation of the country was the reason why they couldn’t appoint diplomats.
“The same government told Nigerians that their economic reforms are working. If this is true, then let them bring in new envoys into the foreign relations mix.”
Iloh claimed that the country’s Ambassadors were recalled in September 2023 because the government knows that they can be substituted with chargé d’affaires.
In his opinion, the government took a “shortcut” when it did so. He, however, said that legislation could help to address future delays in appointing Ambassadors.
He also declared that Ambassadors understand diplomacy better than chargé d’affaires who are civil servants.
“Ambassadors are the representatives of the president. They are the president’s eyes, mouth and ears in other countries. Their importance cannot be overemphasized.
“We are still without Ambassadors many months after they were recalled in September 2023, because we like taking shortcuts in this country.
“The government knows that they can have chargé d’affaires. They also know that they can use them as substitutes for Ambassadors but it is uncalled for.
“If there are legislations that compel the government to appoint Ambassadors within a time frame or face consequences for failing to do so, they would sit up and not shirk their responsibility.
“That’s why we must continue to heap more pressure on the government until they do the right thing.
“Concerning chargé d’affaires not having the requisite connection and weight to rub minds with foreign ministers of their host country or to operate at the highest possible level in representing Nigeria internationally, I believe they should be commended and encouraged, anyway.
“They are doing their best in the face of present realities and we shouldn’t blame them at all. After all, they say that half a loaf is better than none.
“That being said, those who are appointed as Ambassadors usually have a political background, unlike chargé d’affaires who are mainly civil servants.
“Ambassadors have a weight of experience and a truckload of connections. I think they understand diplomacy better than civil servants,” he concluded.
The Special Assistant to the Minister of Foreign of Affairs, Alkassim Abdulkadir, said that “The appointment of ambassadors is the prerogative of the president. When appointed, they represent Nigeria and policies of the government of Nigeria.
“The list of political and career ambassadors for appointment has been compiled and sent to the president. We are waiting for the president to forward the list to the National Assembly for screening and confirmation.”
THE POINT also gathered that the Federal Government had started vetting potential candidates to lead the more than 100 diplomatic missions.
Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs familiar with the matter said the appointment of ambassadors would be announced very soon.
They hinted that the security services were already conducting background checks on possible appointees and had started sharing their findings with the relevant agencies within the presidency and legislature.