President Bola Tinubu is reportedly set to appoint ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions in major countries within the coming weeks, according to top sources within the presidency.

This move addresses increasing public concern that the extended absence of substantive envoys has weakened the country’s diplomatic presence overseas, especially in key strategic locations like the United States, amid sensitive issues such as the alleged Christian genocide row.

In September 2023, President Tinubu had recalled all envoys from Nigeria’s missions, which comprised 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates worldwide, as part of a move to reassess the nation’s foreign policy.

However, the subsequent process of appointing new ambassadors has experienced multiple delays, occurring more than two years into the current administration’s tenure. In the absence of confirmed envoys, the various missions have since been managed by chargés d’affaires or other senior consular officers.

In April 2025, according to The PUNCH, sources close to the President said that the Federal Government had finished the process of vetting the individuals nominated for the ambassadorial roles, including necessary security and background checks conducted by relevant agencies.

President Tinubu had previously attributed the delay to the complex political considerations inherent in such high-profile appointments. While receiving members of The Buhari Organisation at the Presidential Villa in September, he had stated, “I couldn’t appoint everybody at once and thank you for your patience. I still have some slots for ambassadorial positions that so many people are craving for. But it’s not easy stitching those names.”

Last week, multiple presidency officials confirmed that the President had directed a “final cleanup” of the list before its eventual release. One official explained that since the initial list was sent to the Senate, some nominated individuals had died, while others were no longer eligible for appointment due to retirement.

The official noted that the necessity for this cleanup led the Senate, the Upper Chamber, to return the ambassadorial list to the presidency for necessary amendments.

Speaking in separate interviews with The PUNCH, top aides with knowledge of the process confirmed that the cleanup was nearing its conclusion and that only envoys for major countries would be appointed initially.

One source disclosed, “The final process is almost completed. The President is committed to making the appointments, and the announcement will come in the next few weeks. I wouldn’t want to specify two. However, only ambassadors to major countries will be appointed.”

Another senior presidency source indicated that the list is expected to be released before the end of November, though they declined to provide a specific date for the announcement.

That official stated, “The President has said they should clean up the list. I’m sure before the end of the month, it should be ready. There’s no point speculating. When it is ready, it will be officially announced.”

The PUNCH had previously reported that part of the protracted delay in the appointments was linked to significant funding constraints, with an estimated $1 billion required to settle arrears owed to foreign service officials, clear the backlog of overheads, replace ageing vehicles, and renovate mission buildings.

Earlier this year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, also confirmed the funding challenges, cautioning that posting new envoys without providing sufficient operational resources would prove counterproductive.

To address the financial shortfall, the Federal Government earmarked N2.1 billion in the 2025 budget specifically for the posting and return entitlements of ambassadors and officers.

According to The PUNCH, an additional N53 billion was proposed for the renovation of 103 foreign missions, covering chanceries, staff quarters, ambassadors’ residences, office furniture, and official vehicles. The proposed allocations included significant sums for various missions, such as N554 million for Abidjan, N812 million for Banjul, N555 million for Brazzaville, N558 million for Port of Spain, N576 million for Caracas, N624 million for Kingston, N567 million for Libreville, N409 million for Buenos Aires, and N899 million for Niamey, among others.

A letter dated July 3, 2025, from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, also confirmed that the Tinubu administration released a total of $54 million to support the operations of the country’s 103 embassies and high commissions.

The document specified that this funding included $46.14 million allocated for overhead costs, $9.58 million for personnel costs, and $282,829 for other expenses. However, as the year is concluding without substantive ambassadors appointed, there are growing public worries regarding the fate of the budgeted allocations for the missions still functioning without confirmed envoys.

In October, the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs summoned Minister Tuggar and Heads of Missions to appear before it to account for the utilisation of funds appropriated to Nigeria’s foreign missions in the 2025 budget.

The committee, in a letter dated July 24, 2025, and signed by its Chairman, Oluwole Oke, invoked Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to demand detailed records on how the funds were expended by the various missions. The Oke-led committee had earlier in the year initiated a probe into a contract scandal involving the alleged mismanagement of $2 million earmarked for the renovation of Nigeria’s Permanent Representative’s residence at the United Nations headquarters in New York.