MONTHS after receiving the names of some ambassadorial nominees, President Bola Tinubu has yet to draw up a consolidated list of diplomats who will serve as Nigeria’s envoys to various countries and multilateral organisations.
This is as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has since collated and forwarded the names of prospective diplomats to the President for consideration.
“We have collated everything on our part and forwarded it to Mr. President,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed to our correspondent before Monday’s Federal Executive Council meeting.
However, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, confirmed to our correspondent that such nominations must pass through a thorough process before a final list is released. He debunked a list making the rounds, describing it as “fake news.”
“There is no official list as of today. There is a list in circulation. That is fake news. The foreign affairs list will still go through certain processes before it is released.
“Don’t forget that the ambassadorial list has two components. There are career ambassadors and political ambassadors. So, whichever one they submitted, it will still go through a long process.”
In November 2023, a senior official in the ministry said “Names of new ambassadors are being compiled.”
Although it was not clear if the nominees were political or career diplomats, feelers indicate that they primarily comprise the latter.
It is believed that while career diplomats are determined by their career progression, as recommended by the foreign service, political diplomats are often appointees of the President.
In December 2023, a high-ranking official in the nation’s foreign service, who spoke anonymously to this newspaper, confirmed to our correspondent that one of those considered for the top diplomatic jobs is the Founder of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. Mr. Afolabi Adeola.
Adeola will be designated Nigeria’s Ambassador to one of the world’s top three economies.
The source stated, “Yes, the President has a list of recommended persons and is considering it already.
“One of those I saw is Fola Adeola, the Founder of GTB.
“He is being considered as the Nigerian Ambassador to one of the world’s top three economies.”
Aside from Adeola, this newspaper, on Tuesday, gathered that a Senior Special Assistant to the President, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Olufemi Pedro, and the Speaker, Katsina House of Assembly, Tasiu Maigari, are also being considered for ambassadorial jobs.
Explaining the rationale for the choice, the source noted that the Tinubu administration was keen on deploying technocrats and captains of industry as its front persons in foreign lands.
“The President is reserving many of the slots for technocrats, people who have built a strong reputation in their respective fields and have built companies employing thousands of Nigerians. We need people who can use their influence to secure deals and partnerships for the benefit of their country.
“It is not a new thing. When choosing envoys, the most developed economies send their best hands for those jobs. And Tinubu is following that path.
“For example, Adeola is an investor and is not a strange face on the foreign scene and the global business community. He knows them and they know him. And he is not the only one. You can see that this speaks of the administration’s pursuit of more Foreign Direct Investment,” said the source.
On the process followed in compiling the nominees, sources told our correspondent that the Federal Government had set up a committee to recommend qualified individuals to fill the roles.
A source, who did not want to be named, said, “A committee was set up to make recommendations for career and political ambassadors.