President Bola Tinubu will soon announce the appointment of new ambassadors, a senior aide has confirmed. Ademola Oshodi, the Senior Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs and Protocol to President Tinubu, made this revelation during a 2024 Year-In-Review program on Channels Television on Sunday.
According to Oshodi, the announcement is expected within the next few weeks, followed by the necessary processes for Senate approval and accreditation, ensuring the ambassadors are deployed to their respective missions around the world.
This announcement comes 16 months after President Tinubu recalled all Nigerian ambassadors from their postings. In September 2023, shortly after assuming office, President Tinubu ordered the recall of ambassadors from over 100 Nigerian embassies and high commissions across the globe, citing his prerogative to manage foreign diplomatic relations. However, since then, the President has not yet submitted a new list of ambassadors to the Senate for approval, despite Nigeria hosting ambassadors from other countries in its capital, Abuja.
Oshodi addressed concerns raised by former diplomats, including Lawrence Obisakin, former Ambassador to the Benin Republic, and Ayoola Olukanni, former High Commissioner to Australia, who criticized the delay in appointing new ambassadors. The aide emphasized that the process was underway, with necessary preparations being made for the ambassadors’ arrival.
“The President is focused on getting things in place. We have chargé d’affaires and consul generals in place as an interim solution while the ambassadors are being finalized,” Oshodi explained. He added that the current foreign missions are not in disarray, despite the challenges the President inherited upon taking office.
Oshodi also pointed out that previous administrations had also taken significant time to appoint ambassadors, citing that the last administration took 20 months to finalize ambassadorial appointments.
As the nation awaits the official list, President Tinubu’s team assures that the preparation for the ambassadors’ deployment is a priority for the administration.
