By Ayo Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu is set to announce his ambassadors within the next few weeks, The Presidency has disclosed.
This is coming 16 months after the recall of 83 ambassadors in September 2023.
Recall that following President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration, the government ordered the withdrawal of both career and non-career diplomats, in a bid to reassess and realign Nigeria’s foreign policy priorities.
By October 31, 2023, all recalled ambassadors had returned to Nigeria, signalling a significant shift in the country’s diplomatic strategy.
Amid concerns by Nigerians, the minister of foreign affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the ambassadors served at the president’s request in their host countries and that it was the president’s “prerogative to send or recall them from any country.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s 2024 Year-In-Review show on Sunday, Senior Special Adviser the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Ademola Oshodi, said there will be a statement regarding the appointment of ambassadors in the coming weeks.
He said, “I think there will be a statement regarding the ambassadors in the coming weeks, and the Senate and accreditation will take action to place them in their various missions around the world.
“The ambassadors are coming, but the most important thing we should realise is that things are being put in place for the Ambassadors and the High Commissioners.
“We have charge d’affaires to the nations, and consul generals that have been sent, more of a prelude to the ambassadors’ arrival.
“The foreign missions are not in dire straits. The president inherited missions that were not in great shape, so things had to be put in shape and prepared for the ambassadors, and their families, dignitaries, diplomats, etc.
“This is a priority for the President and his administration. Notwithstanding the importance of the ambassadors, I must emphasise unequivocally that even the last administration took 20 months to appoint ambassadors.”
