Nigeria TV Info 

Ambassadors: Opposition, APC clash over Tinubu’s nominees 

🔹 What Happened

• Bola Ahmed Tinubu sent a fresh list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate — his first major diplomatic appointments since recalling all envoys from Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions about two years ago. The list adds to an earlier batch of three, bringing the total to 35.
• The nominees include a mix of career diplomats and political figures (non-career), among them former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chair Mahmud Yakubu, former presidential aide Reno Omokri, ex-Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, ex-governors, former governors’ spouses, and other former public office holders.
• Proposed postings span key nations — China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, UAE, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya — and multilateral missions (UN, UNESCO, AU). Assignments will follow Senate confirmation.

🔹 Opposition Pushback

• Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) slammed the list, calling it “scandalous,” condemning inclusion of political allies and “controversial figures.” They argued the appointments undermine Nigeria’s image and reflect politicised diplomacy.
• On the spotlight is Yakubu’s nomination. Critics highlight that appointing a former electoral boss — whose tenure drew widespread public dissatisfaction — signals a reward system for questionable service rather than merit.
• The ADC said the list appears like “job for the boys,” arguing that after two-and-a-half years of diplomatic vacuum, such appointments appear more like settling political IOUs than to restore Nigeria’s foreign representation.

🔹 APC Defence

• All Progressives Congress (APC) dismissed the opposition’s criticism as “mischievous and baseless.” The party’s spokesman, Bala Ibrahim, said nominees like Yakubu remain qualified and should not be disqualified simply for prior public service, noting that former electoral chiefs and public office holders have often been appointed to other roles without controversy.
• The APC insisted that ambassadorial appointments recognise service to the nation and that competence, not politics, should determine suitability.

🔹 Wider Context: Diplomatic Vacuum & Risks

• For nearly two years, Nigeria’s foreign missions have operated largely without substantive envoys — since September 2023, when Tinubu recalled all ambassadors to reassess foreign policy direction. This left many missions run by chargés d’affaires or senior consular officers, limiting effectiveness.
• Civil society and think-tanks had repeatedly warned that the prolonged delay in appointing ambassadors threatened Nigeria’s global influence, foreign investment prospects, and left citizens abroad vulnerable.