Ambassadorial List Under Final Review, DSS Checks Complete

The long-awaited list of ambassadorial nominees is ready for review by the National Assembly, following the completion of background and security checks by the Department of State Services (DSS). This comes after months of delays and speculation surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s foreign service appointments.

According to multiple sources within the presidency, all necessary vetting for nominees to Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions—including 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates—has been finalized. However, the official transmission of the list to the National Assembly has yet to occur, despite expectations that it would happen earlier this week.

President Tinubu, currently on a two-week working visit to Paris, is said to be using the time to assess his administration’s mid-term performance and review ongoing reforms ahead of his second anniversary in office. Sources within the presidency noted that the delay is now mainly at the discretion of the President, who may still be making last-minute adjustments to the final list.

The delay has drawn attention, as Nigeria has operated without official ambassadors since September 2023, when Tinubu recalled over 83 career and non-career envoys following a reassessment of the country’s foreign policy under his 4Ds agenda—Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora.

Efforts to finalise appointments were further hampered by financial constraints. Reports indicate that nearly $1 billion is needed to clear arrears owed to foreign service officials, refurbish aging embassy infrastructure, and address other capital expenditures. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, previously confirmed that insufficient funding had stalled the process, arguing that sending ambassadors abroad without adequate support would be ineffective.

Although the President spent part of the last December holidays reviewing potential nominees, plans to transmit the list before the end of 2024 were shelved. Insiders attribute this to both the cost implications and Tinubu’s strategic caution. He reportedly prefers to allocate funds toward domestic reforms, despite pressure from diplomatic stakeholders and the diaspora community to reestablish Nigeria’s international presence.

Once submitted, the list will be reviewed by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which will assess nominees’ qualifications, diplomatic credentials, and alignment with Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives. Successful candidates will then be confirmed by the Senate, officially appointed by the President, and undergo orientation before receiving their Letters of Credence for formal deployment.

Presidency sources suggest that although the DSS clearance is complete, the final delay may be due to careful adjustments being made to avoid future complications or retractions. Presidential Adviser Bayo Onanuga emphasized that the nomination process must be thorough, noting that the list includes both career diplomats and political appointees, and must undergo additional internal processes before submission.

While expectations remain high, no specific date has been given for when the ambassadorial list will be forwarded to the National Assembly.