Appointments of ambassadors or high commissioners by the President are constitutional obligations. There should not be any delay in such appointments. Section 171 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that,
“(1) Power to appoint persons to hold or act in the offices to which this section applies and to remove persons so appointed from any such office shall vest in the President.
(2) The offices to which this section applies are, namely – (a) Secretary to the Government of the Federation; (b) Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; (c) Ambassador, High Commissioner or other Principal Representative of Nigeria abroad; (d) Permanent Secretary in any Ministry or Head of any Extra-Ministerial Department of the Government of the Federation howsoever designated; and (e) any office on the personal staff of the President.
(3) An appointment to the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation shall not be made except from among Permanent Secretaries or equivalent rank in the civil service of the Federation or of a State. (4) An appointment to the office of Ambassador, High Commissioner or other Principal Representative of Nigeria abroad shall not have effect unless the appointment is confirmed by the Senate.
(5) In exercising his powers of appointment under this section, the President shall have regard to the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity.
(6) Any appointment made pursuant to paragraphs (a) and (e) of subsection (2) of this section shall be at the pleasure of the President and shall cease when the President ceases to hold office.
“Provided that where a person has been appointed from a public service of the Federation or a State, he shall be entitled to return to the public service of the Federation or of the State when the President ceases to hold office.”
The delay in appointing ambassadors mirrors the way this government thinks of the roles of ambassadors.
Ambassadors actively manage and maintain diplomatic relations between the home country and the host. They engage in political and economic negotiations, promote bilateral cooperation and safeguard the home country’s interest in the host country. Additionally, they supervise the functioning of consulates within their jurisdiction.
They are not just mere desk officers or protocol officers whose schedule is only to hire uber vehicles for the President, their relatives and other top officials. They are an integral part of government.
Ambassadors also engage in delicate negotiations, representing their country’s policies while understanding others’ perspectives. This balancing act is crucial for successful international relations. Their work includes advocating for their home country’s political, economic, and cultural agendas abroad. Ambassadors are the voice of their nation in foreign lands, aiming to foster global partnerships.
How can we be chasing foreign investments when ambassadors who are to play prominent roles in such negotiations have not been appointed?
If Ministers could be appointed and sworn-in three months after Presidential inauguration, why delay the appointments of ambassadors?
At the 79th General Assembly of the United Nation, Nigeria made a legitimate demand for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council. At the time we made the demand, we had no permanent representative in the United Nations. What a contradiction?
We undervalue the position of ambassadors in this country. We starve their embassies of funds and we pay little attention to their needs.
We acknowledged the efforts of Mr. Walter Carrington (24 July 1930-11 August 2020), the American ambassador to Nigeria between 1993 and 1997 and the role he played in standing for human rights during the General Sani Abacha years. He stood firm by his principles and he was resolute in defending human rights.
In other countries of the world, the ambassadorship is the training ground for leadership.
Otto Von Bismarck, in 1859 was the Prussian ambassador to Russia and later to Paris in 1862 in the court of Napoleon III, he later became Prime Minister.
George H. W. Bush (12 June 1924-30 November, 2018) was the 41st President of the United States of America. He was equally the 10th United States American ambassador to the United Nations from (1March 1971-18 January 1973).
Mr. Benjamin William Mkapa (12 November, 1938- 24 July 2020) was Tanzania ambassador to Nigeria in 1976. He was Tanzania Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1977 to 1980. In 1982, he served as High Commissioner to Canada and between 1983 and 1984 as Ambassador to the United States of America.
He returned home in 1984 where he was again appointed Member of Parliament and Minister for Foreign Affairs. In 1992, he served as Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, prior to being elected President in 1995, and Chairman of his Party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, (1996-2006). He was re-elected President in 2000 for another 5-year term.
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (82). He was the second post-apartheid South African President. He was the African National Congress (ANC) envoy in Nigeria between 1976 and 1978. He established the ANC presence that eclipsed that of its rival Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).
While in Lagos, he formed strong friendship with the then head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR and top civil servants, including Yahaya Abubakar, Permanent Secretary, CABINET OFFICE, Mr. Bisi Ogunniyi and others.
Likewise, there are examples of those who have served in leadership positions yet end up becoming ambassadors.
Mr. Walter Frederick “Fritz” Mondale (5 January 1928-19 April 2021) was the 42nd Vice President of the United States of America, and served from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. He became the United States of America’s ambassador to Japan between 1993 and 1996.
Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim was the Prime Minister of Tanzania between April 24, 1984 and November 5, 1985. He became the Secretary General of Organisation of African Unity (OAU) between 1989 and 2001, later African Union special envoy on Darfur between 2004 and 2008.
Mr. Kevin Rudd (67) is at present the 23rd Australian ambassador to the United States of America. He was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia and served between 27 June 2013 and 18 September 2018.
Nigeria in the past has never been short of outstanding ambassadors. Almost all of them represented Nigeria without blemish.
At the risk of offending many, let me mention some ambassadors we have had in the past. Joe Iyala, Tokunbo Awolowo Dosunmu, Joe Keshi, Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure, B. A. T. Balewa, Olu Adeniji, Oladele Akadiri, Olusegun Apata, G. Dove-Edwin, H. Harriman J. N. Ukaegbu, L. A. Fabunmi, A. G. P. Omotayo, S. A. Otuyelu.
Others are Segun Olusola, Ebun Oyagbola, Tobi Ogundipe, Olujimi Jolaoso, Christopher Kolade, Florentina Adenike Ukonga, Uzoma Eminike, Martine Gereng-Sen, Oladele Abiodun, Ijeoma Bristol, Laraba Bhutto, Sifawu Momoh, Zainab Ali Kotoko, Chigozie Obi Nnadozie, Francisca Olaide Marinho, Isaac Aluko-Olokun, Ignatius Chukuemeka Olisemeka, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Oladele Akadiri, Dapo Fawora, Olu Saanu and Olu Ibunkun. They are countless.
Let us dwell on the pioneer ambassadors.
Chief Julius Momo Udochi was the first Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America, 1960–1965. He was a Teacher 1931–1938; a Customs Officer in the Nigerian Civil Service 1938–1945; Assistant secretary, Nigerian Secretariat 1945–1947; Hon. Provincial Secretary Nigerian Civil Service Union, Co-Editor “The Nigerian Civil Servant” 1939–1945; Called to the English Bar as a Barrister at Law by the Middle Temple in 1950.
He practiced Law 1950–1960; was Chairman of the Federal Non-Government Teacher’s Salary Commission and a Member of the Mission to the World Bank, 1958; Hon. Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association and Member of the Committee on Legal Education, 1955–1959; Member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, 1954-1959 and 1965–1966; Hon. Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Mid-Western State of Nigeria, 1967–1975.
Chief Jaja Anucha Ndubuisi Wachuku (1 January 1918 – 7 November 1996) was a Pan-Africanist and a statesman, lawyer, politician, diplomat and humanitarian. He was the first Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives; as well as the first Nigerian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Also, Wachuku was the first Nigerian Minister for Foreign Affairs. Notably, Wachuku was a Royal Prince of Ngwaland, “descendant of 20 generations of African chiefs in the South East”. He was elected to the Senate in 1979 on the platform of the NPP and became the leader of the NPP in the Senate. He later became the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. During this period, I became his friend. Senator Wachuku had a lot of political experience.
From 1960 to 1961, Wachuku served as first Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in New York, as well as Federal Minister for Economic Development. He hoisted Nigeria’s flag as the 99th member of the United Nations on 7 October 1960.
Accordingly, Wachuku was instrumental to Nigeria becoming the 58th Member State of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday 14 November 1960. Also, as First Ambassador of Nigeria to the United Nations, Wachuku represented the country at the independence celebrations of Tanganyika – now known as the United Republic of Tanzania.
At the United Nations, with support from UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld, the member nations elected Wachuku the first African to chair a United Nations Conciliation Commission, making him Chairman of the Conciliation Commission for the Congo from January to March 1961. Initial proposal and nomination of Wachuku to be mediator in Congo came from Paul-Henri Spaak of Belgium, to which “Wachuku responded favorably on condition that U Thant, Cyrille Adoula and Moïse Tshombe agree.”
Chief Simeon Olaosebikan Adebo (October 4, 1913 – September 30, 1994) had his secondary education at King’s College, Lagos in 1932 and studied law at London School of Economics, where upon graduation he was admitted to the bar.
Chief Adebo worked at the Federal Ministry of Finance and in 1961 became head of the Civil Service and Chief Secretary to the Government of the Western Region. He was appointed Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations from 1962 to 1967 and as United Nations Under Secretary General and Executive General of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research until 1972.
After the end of the Nigerian civil war, Nigerian Head of State General Yakubu Gowon (90) GCFR instituted a commission to review wages and salaries of Nigerian workers and to look into means of ameliorating the economic conditions of workers, the importance of the commission was due to the rise in cost of living as a result of uncontrollable inflation during the civil war.
Simeon Adebo was called to head the commission which later became known as the Adebo commission. Workers who had demanded wage increases were happy for the choice of Chief Adebo, he was seen as an apolitical administrator who could look thoroughly into workers plight and investigate the concerns of workers in the civil and private sector.
An earlier government review of wages, which called for wage increases in 1964, had been followed by the private sector.
In its first report, the commission under Chief Adebo recommended a COLA or Cost of Living Award for all workers, ranging from $10 increases to $24.
Chief Lawrence Odiata Victor Anionwu was the first Nigerian Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs and the country’s first ambassador to Rome. Those achievements made Chief Anionwu outstanding in the history of administration in modern Nigeria, for he not only oversaw the work of an important government department during the formative years of Nigeria’s independent foreign policy, but also rose to become one of the leading envoys of Nigeria.
Chief Anionwu was at the Imperial Defence College in London, and on his return to Lagos, was posted to the Ministry of External Affairs where he served as the first Nigerian Permanent Secretary from 1960 until 1963. An able officer, he soon displayed the exemplary qualities that won the admiration and respect of his colleagues.
Three years later he was given the task of opening the Nigerian Embassy in Rome where he was the country’s first representative. He was to go to London as High Commissioner in 1967 when civil war broke out in Nigeria, thus interrupting his diplomatic career.
Chief Anionwu retired from the public service when the civil war ended in 1970, but continued to make generous contributions towards community development in his home town, Onitsha. Among the projects he was involved in was the reconstruction of the Emmanuel Church. He also served on the Board of the Central Water Transportation Service based there. He died from a stroke in London, where he was visiting, in 1980.
Alhaji Abdul Maliki was Nigeria’s first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He was born in 1914 to the Attah of Igbirra Kingdom, traditional ruler of the Igbirra group in what is now known as Kogi state. He was educated at Katsina Training College. He taught at Okene Middle School in his home area in 1934-1935, and was then appointed supervisor of Native Authority Works, a post he held from 1936 to 1939.
He held other posts in a rapid rise in the service of the colonial administration in the Northern Provinces. In 1939-1940, he was Provincial Clerk in Katsina, an important post for a Nigerian in the colonial government service at that time. In 1940, he was appointed to an even more important post, that of Chief Executive Officer of Igbirra N.A.
He also became chairman of Okene Town Council, the first elected municipal council in the former Northern Region. He was thus one of the most prominent members of the Igbirra (or Ebira) community, while in the Public Service. He went on a Local Government course in Britain in 1950.
He was a member of the Northern Region House of Assembly and then of the Federal House of Representatives from 1952 to 1955. He was a member of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC).
In 1955 he was appointed Commissioner to the United Kingdom for Northern Nigeria; he held this post until 1958, and during this time was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
He joined the Federal diplomatic service in 1958. On the independence of Nigeria in 1960 he was appointed the first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He served for six years in what was then the most vital diplomatic post representing Nigeria overseas.
In mid-1966 he was transferred to France as ambassador there, a difficult post because of France’s support for the secessionists in the civil war then still raging. He died in the middle of 1969 while on leave at home.
Chief Edwin Ogebe Ogbu was born on 28th December, 1926 to Chief Ogbu Iyanga, the paramount Chief of Utonkon and Mrs Eje Ogbu in Benue state. He attended primary schools in Utonkon and Igumale before proceeding to the Methodist College Uzuakoli in 1938 where he excelled and came out with division one in the Cambridge School Certificate Examination (one of the precursors to modern day Senior School Certificate Examination) in 1945.
He later joined the Northern Region Civil Service and Federal Civil Service.
In 1963, he was transferred to the Federal Ministry of Finance as Permanent Secretary to help realise the objectives of the First National Development Plan (FNDP) introduced the previous year. Dr Edwin Ogbu remained at the Federal Ministry of Finance until after the military coups in 1966 when he moved to the Federal Ministry of External Affairs as Permanent Secretary where he helped formulate the foreign policy of the new military government.
He was with the Federal Ministry of External Affairs until February 1968 when the Federal Government of Nigeria posted him to the United Nations (UN) in New Year as Nigeria’s ambassador to the UN. This appointment was during the height of the Nigerian Civil War and it was evident that his diplomacy skills were needed to articulate Nigeria’s position as the war raged. Even after the war ended in 1970, he continued at the UN until September 1975 when he retired from public service, making him one of the longest serving Nigeria’s ambassadors to the UN.
The achievements of Dr Edwin Ogbu were also recognised by Idoma people and in 1995, the Och’Idoma II, HRH Dr. Ajene Okpabi , made him the “Ochojila K’Idoma” a traditional title which translates into leader of Idoma people. The title was conferred on him in recognition of his contributions to the development of Idoma land.
Dr Edwin Ogbu continued his service to the Idoma community and when Ajene Okpabi passed away, he was made the chairman of the Central Planning Committee of the transition of Och’Idoma following the death of Ajene Okpabi in late 1995.
When the search for a successor to Ajene Okpabi began, Dr Edwin Ogbu was an overwhelming favourite to become Ochi Idoma and it was no surprise when he was announced as the Ochi Idoma III on 10th January 1996. His ascension to the throne, gave the position of Och’Idoma more prestige and credibility due to the stature of Dr Edwin Ogbu in world politics.
Unfortunately, Dr Edwin Ogbu passed away in 1997 before he could really establish his mark as Och’Idoma. Dr Edwin Ogbu has a place in Idoma folklore, as there is a popular saying that translates into “no matter how hard you study, you cannot be better educated than Dr Edwin Ogbu Iyanga”.
Major General Joseph Nanven Garba (17 July 1943 – 1 June 2002) served as president of the United Nations General Assembly from 1989 to 1990. He served as federal commissioner for external affairs from 1975 to 1978, commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy from 1978 to 1979 and commander of the Brigade of Guards from 1968 to 1975.
Following the coup in 1975, Garba made a shift from the military to politics and diplomacy. In 1975 he was appointed Nigeria’s foreign minister (Federal Commissioner for External Affairs) by General Murtala Mohammed, and continued in this role under General Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ after the former was assassinated on February 13, 1976.
Garba was the head of the Nigerian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly from 1975, culminating in his appointment as President of the United Nations Security Council in January 1978.
In 1978, as General Ọbasanjọ was preparing to hand rule of Nigeria over to civilians, Garba was reassigned to the role of Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy. He held this position until 1980, when he left to study at the National Defence College in New Delhi, India. Following this, Garba studied as a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, where he obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration.
Returning to diplomatic life, Garba was appointed a Permanent Representative to the United Nations in 1984, a role he continued in until 1989. In 1989, he was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly for its forty-fourth session.
Mention must be made of Chief Arthur Christopher Izuegbunam Mbanefo (94) who was born on 11 June, 1930 in Onitsha, Anambra State.
He had his education at the Government School, Ogwashi-Uku, 1937-1939, St. Mary’s School, Port Harcourt, 1940-1941, Christ the King School, Aba, 1942, Practicing School, Uyo, 1943-1944, Government School, Afikpo, 1944-1945, St. Benedict’s School, Ogoja, 1946, St. Patrick’s School, Calabar, 1947-1953, Accountancy Studies, England, 1962, Centre for Applied Management and Technology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA, 1965-1966; Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, former Republic of Biafra, 1968-1970, became partner, Akintola Williams and Company, April 1965, also Managing Director, AW Consultants Limited, 1973, Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU),Ile-Ife, July 1986, fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, director, Umarco Nigeria Limited since 1971, director, UACN of Nigeria Limited since 1978 and president, Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria, 1978-1979.
He became Nigeria’s ambassador to the United Nations in the year 2000.
Alhaji Maitama Yusuf Sule (1 October 1929 – 3 July 2017) had his education at the Shahuri Elementary School, Kano, 1937-1939, Kano Middle School, 1940-1942, Kaduna College, 1942-1946, Special Higher Elementary Teacher’s Course, Zaria, 1947, teacher, Kano Middle School, 1947-1954, visiting teacher, 1954-1955, chief information officer, Native Authority, 1955-1956, member, House of Representatives, 1954-1966, chief whip, Northern People’s Congress, 1955-1959, federal minister of Mines and Power, 1959-1966, state commissioner, Kano, 1967-1974, chairman, National Council for Arts and Culture, Lagos, 1974, chief public complaints commissioner for the federation, 1975, later permanent representative to the United Nation, 1981-1983, also elected chairman, United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid, 1981-1983.
Ambassador Judith Sefiya Attah, a princess from Okene in Kogi State, was the minister of women affairs under General Ibrahim Babangida (83) GCFR. According to records, she is the first Ebira woman to obtain a university degree.
In 1987, she became the first female ambassador/permanent secretary (and later director-general) position up till 1991, when she was again posted as the first female ambassador to Italy with concurrent accreditation to Greece and Cyprus.
Ambassador Attah was recalled in January 1995 to serve as the first minister of the newly- created Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare and member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari served as Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari from 2020 to 2023. He previously served as permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations from 1990 to 1999 and minister of external affairs from 1984 to 1985.
Professor Gambari was born on 24 November 1944 in Ilorin, Kwara State to a Fulani ruling class family. His nephew Ibrahim Sulu Gambari is the Emir of Ilorin.
Gambari attended King’s College, Lagos. He subsequently attended the London School of Economics where he obtained his B. Sc. (Economics) degree (1968) with specialisation in International Relations. He later obtained his M.A. (1970) and Ph. D. (1974) degrees from Columbia University, New York, United States in Political Science /International Relations.
Gambari began his teaching career in 1969 at City University of New York before working at University of Albany. Later, he taught at Ahmadu Bello University, in Zaria, Kaduna State. From 1986 to 1989, he was Visiting Professor at three universities in Washington, D.C.: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Georgetown University and Howard University.
He has also been a research fellow at the Brookings Institution also in Washington, D.C. and a Resident Scholar at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center, the Rockefeller Foundation-run center in Italy.
He has written many books and published in reputable journals in foreign policy and international relations, such as ‘Theory and Reality in Foreign Policy: Nigeria after the Second Republic’.
Professor Gambari served as the Minister for External Affairs between 1984 and 1985 under General Muhammadu Buhari’s military regime, after he was the director general of The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). From 1990 to 1999, he holds the record of being the longest serving Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations, serving under five Heads of State and Presidents.
Gambari has held several positions in the United Nations. In 1999, he was the President of UNICEF and later became UN Under Secretary-General and the first Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan from 1999 to 2005.
He was the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Political Affairs from 2005 to 2007 under Secretary-General’s Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon. His last appointment in the UN was from January 2010 to July 2012, when he was appointed by Ban Ki-moon and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission as the Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur.
In terms of outstanding and reputable ambassadors, Nigeria is not in short supply, not at all. Too many of them are still around. They are our greatest contribution to the world of diplomacy. Ambassadors don’t suffer in comparison with other top government officials.
Nigeria is still one of the important villages of the world.
.Teniola is a veteran journalist.
