President Bola Tinubu has begun filling long-vacant diplomatic positions, sending a shortlist of three ambassadorial nominees to the Senate, a move that has stirred fresh debate over Nigeria’s foreign engagement strategy.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, unveiled the list during Wednesday’s plenary, stressing that the submission marks the beginning of a broader appointment process.
However, political watchers say the decision signals a shift after months of criticism over Nigeria’s absence of appointed envoys abroad.
Akpabio told lawmakers that the president’s letter contained “three names for now,” adding that additional nominees could be transmitted later as part of an ongoing diplomatic reconfiguration.
The nominees are Kayode Are from Ogun State, Aminu Dalhatu from Jigawa State, and Ayodele Oke, a former top intelligence official.
Their nomination comes nearly two years after Tinubu assumed office without installing ambassadors, a delay that analysts say created unease within Nigeria’s diplomatic circle.
Moreover, the non-appointment had drawn political heat, especially after U.S. President Donald Trump previously designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, a development critics partly attributed to diplomatic inertia.
But officials within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consistently pushed back on such concerns.
In a September interview, Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, maintained that Nigeria’s missions were functioning smoothly despite the absence of ambassadors.
“Our embassies are not dormant; the chargé d’affaires in each mission is performing the full duties expected of a head of post,” the minister said at the time.
He argued that diplomatic operations rely on an experienced chain of command, deputies, counsellors and career officers, rather than a single individual.
He offered an explanation that diplomacy “is designed to withstand temporary gaps,” stressing that many countries operate without ambassadors for extended periods without losing international traction.
Tuggar said the president retained exclusive authority to nominate envoys and would do so “after careful consideration of Nigeria’s strategic interests.”
He added that “the missions have continued to promote trade, investment, consular assistance and sustained engagement with host governments.”
The minister insisted that Nigerians abroad were still accessing essential services, noting that “what matters is substance, not optics,” in the conduct of diplomatic affairs.
With Wednesday’s submission to the Senate, attention now shifts to the confirmation process and whether more nominees will follow soon, an indication of how the administration intends to reposition Nigeria’s global representation in the coming months.