After more than two years without permanent ambassadors, President Bola Tinubu has finally moved to refill Nigeria’s empty diplomatic seats.
On November 26, 2025, he sent the first three names to the Senate — including postings to the United States, United Kingdom, and France.
Just three days later, he forwarded another 32 nominees — a mix of 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career heavyweights, among them former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, ex-minister Femi Fani-Kayode, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, ex-presidential aide Reno Omokri and even former INEC chairman Mahmud Yakubu.
So why the long vacuum?
When Tinubu took office in May 2023, he recalled virtually all ambassadors for a “comprehensive diplomatic review.”
That review dragged on for over two years — crippled by funding shortages, a crashing naira, unpaid salaries at missions, and the delicate politics of balancing merit with patronage.
The result? Nigeria’s 109 embassies, high commissions, and consulates were run by junior chargés d’affaires — weakening trade talks, visa negotiations, and Nigeria’s voice on the global stage.
Now, with these 35 names — and more promised soon — President Tinubu says the era of “quality diplomacy” has begun.
But for a country that prides itself as Africa’s giant, the question remains:
Can Nigeria afford to stay off the diplomatic pitch for this long again?
This is Nigeria’s diplomatic reset — two years in the making.
