Tinubu set to name new envoys – presidency
Story by Okafor Vivian
President Bola Tinubu is preparing to appoint ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions in major countries in the coming weeks, according to senior presidency sources.
This development follows rising public concern that the prolonged absence of substantive envoys has weakened Nigeria’s diplomatic presence abroad, especially in strategic nations such as the United States, amid ongoing controversies over alleged Christian persecution.
Tinubu had in September 2023 recalled all ambassadors from 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates to review Nigeria’s foreign policy direction. However, more than two years into the administration, the appointment of new envoys has faced repeated delays.
With no substantive ambassadors in place, most missions have been overseen by chargés d’affaires or senior consular officials.
In April 2025, sources close to the presidency revealed that the Federal Government had concluded vetting those nominated for ambassadorial roles, including security and background checks by relevant agencies.
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Tinubu previously attributed the delay to complex political considerations involved in selecting candidates.
“I couldn’t appoint everybody at once, and thank you for your patience. I still have some slots for ambassadorial positions that many people are seeking. But it’s not easy stitching those names together,” he said in September while receiving members of a political support organisation at the Presidential Villa.
Last week, several presidency officials disclosed that the President had ordered a “final cleanup” of the list before its release.
One official explained that since the list was first sent to the Senate, some nominees had died, while others were no longer eligible due to retirement. This prompted the Senate to return the list to the presidency.
Top aides familiar with the process confirmed that the cleanup was nearly complete and that only envoys for major countries would be appointed initially.
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“The process is almost completed. The President is committed to making the appointments, and the announcement will come in the next few weeks. Only ambassadors to major countries will be named,” one source said.
Another senior official said the list should be released before the end of November, but declined to give a specific date.
Funding issues delay appointments
Part of the delay is linked to financial constraints, estimated at about $1bn, required to settle arrears owed to foreign service officers, clear outstanding operational costs, replace ageing vehicles and renovate mission buildings.
Earlier this year, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar confirmed that limited funding was a major challenge, warning that deploying ambassadors without adequate resources would be counterproductive.
To address the shortfall, the Federal Government allocated N2.1bn in the 2025 budget for posting and return entitlements of ambassadors and foreign service officers. An additional N53bn was proposed for renovating 103 missions, covering chanceries, staff quarters, ambassadors’ residences, office furniture and official vehicles.
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Proposed allocations included N554m for Abidjan, N812m for Banjul, N555m for Brazzaville, N558m for Port of Spain, N576m for Caracas, N624m for Kingston, N567m for Libreville, N409m for Buenos Aires and N899m for Niamey, among others.
A letter dated July 3, 2025, from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation revealed that the Tinubu administration released a total of $54m to support the operations of 103 embassies and high commissions. Of this, $46.14m went to overhead costs, $9.58m to personnel costs, and $282,829 to other expenses.
However, with the year nearing its end and no ambassadors yet appointed, public concern is growing over what will become of the funds allocated to missions still operating without substantive envoys.
In October, the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs summoned Tuggar and Heads of Missions to explain how funds appropriated for Nigeria’s foreign missions in 2025 were utilised.
The committee, in a letter dated July 24, 2025 and signed by its Chairman, Oluwole Oke, cited constitutional provisions requiring detailed records of expenditures by various missions.
Earlier in the year, the committee began investigating an alleged $2m contract scandal involving renovation works at Nigeria’s Permanent Representative’s residence at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
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