The Federal Government has defended the delay in appointing ambassadors, insisting the process demands thorough reform rather than hasty decisions, while accusing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of politicising a matter of national sovereignty.
This comes in response to a statement issued on Sunday by the ADC’s interim national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, which faulted President Bola Tinubu for the continued absence of official envoys in key foreign missions.
The ADC had warned that the lack of substantive ambassadors was weakening Nigeria’s diplomatic footprint, citing developments such as shifting visa policies by the United States and the United Arab Emirates as evidence of deteriorating foreign relations.
However, responding on Tuesday, the Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, described the ADC’s concerns as “baseless” and driven by “political impatience.”
According to Abdulkadir, President Tinubu is undertaking a broad reform of Nigeria’s foreign service to dismantle the culture of political patronage that has long shaped ambassadorial appointments.
He explained that the delay is rooted in efforts to build a framework that prioritises merit, integrity, and national interest over partisan considerations.
“The delay in appointments of ambassadors is owed to Tinubu’s comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s foreign service architecture to ensure that future ambassadorial appointments reflect not only political balance but also merit, competence, and integrity,” he said.
He emphasised that ambassadorial appointments are a sovereign function that require detailed review, national security vetting, and clearance from host countries.
“It is not a haphazard exercise to satisfy political impatience or party quotas,” Abdulkadir added. “It is a sovereign responsibility guided by rigorous considerations.”
He reiterated the federal government’s commitment to ending the practice of gifting diplomatic posts to political allies without regard to competence.
