The Presidency has addressed the reason for the delay in President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of ambassadors, clarifying that he is taking his time to carefully select candidates for these crucial roles.
Concerns have been raised about the lack of envoys and diplomats in Nigeria’s numerous missions worldwide, but according to Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation, Sunday Dare, the president is prioritizing the importance of foreign policy in making these appointments.
Dare mentioned in an interview with Premium Times that Tinubu may finalize the appointments before the end of the year.
He said, “You must appreciate the fact that when you have a mission or an embassy, it is a structure. And what you have at the top is the ambassador, who can be just a political appointee or a career diplomat. But they don’t operate in isolation. They have consul generals.
“They have quite a number of diplomats and foreign affairs staffers who they call ambassadors who do the day-to-day work. So when the ambassadors are removed, the essential work or the core work of diplomacy of a consulate still goes on. It’s just removing one person. So, at no point did that stop for all our embassies.
“I do agree that with an ambassador, you get a more pointed direction and the rest. But let me fast-forward. We’re at a point when that is about to happen. We’re going to see that happen shortly. The president has been deliberate because he understands that the ambassadors will play a key role in his plan to bring FDI into our country.
“They will play a key role in ensuring that Nigeria is plugged into the global economy at the right point. And I’m telling you, he’s been deliberate, making sure that those who will go as ambassadors have the credentials, whether career diplomats or even politicians, and that is why it has taken so much time. That’s what I believe, but we will have ambassadors very soon. I’m sure that is going to happen before the end of the year.”
