According to sources, the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has granted a three-month extension to Nigeria’s envoys and ambassadors. This comes after President Tinubu recalled all of Nigeria’s career and non-career ambassadors and requested their return to the country by October 31. The extension was granted due to delays in releasing the AIEs (Authority to Incur Expenditures) for their return. However, some ambassadors have expressed concern that this extension may not be enough time to recall and replace ambassadors, a process that takes around six to eight months.
If the envoys leave by November 1st, all Nigerian missions will be without heads for a significant period. It takes time to nominate, vet, screen, confirm, and receive bilateral agreements from host countries before envoys can assume duties at their posts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has written to President Tinubu, pointing out the consequences of a lack of envoys and seeking a three-month extension to allow for some housekeeping for the recalled envoys.
The extension was granted to prevent potential national and international embarrassment. Still, it is doubtful that three months will be enough, as the agreement between the sending and receiving states can take more than six months to finalize. Nigeria may be without ambassadorial leadership for up to eight months, which could have dire consequences.
Without an ambassador, embassies will be led by a charge d’affaires (CDA), an officer who cannot see any officer higher than a director at any diplomatic gathering. This means it would be difficult for President Tinubu to make appointments in other countries. Only an ambassador can arrange meetings and other engagements with the prime minister.
It is also revealed that the Federal Government has not released allocations to the missions since June, which is another challenge that needs to be addressed.
The process of appointing ambassadors involves nominees being put forward, security agencies screening them, and the Senate confirming them. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs then sends letters of agreement to the countries they are being posted to ask if they agree. The other countries will start their investigations, and the agreement can take between six to eight months. African countries take at least two months because they carry out thorough screening, as ambassadors enjoy immunity. The other countries allow their serving ambassadors to serve while doing the agreement so that if the outgoing ambassador leaves, another ambassador will come in the next week because the appointing country does not have control over the agreement.