… Foreign Affairs ministry keeps mum
By Sanni Abdullahi
ABUJA – More than a year after President Bola Tinubu forwarded a list of 69 ambassadorial nominees to the National Assembly, Nigeria’s foreign missions are nearing full staffing, but two career diplomats and public figures remain in suspense waiting for host country approval.
According to records from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Senate, 65 of the nominees have received Senate confirmation and are at various stages of deployment. Four others have stalled for different reasons.
The most visible of the pending cases is Reno Omokri, who was nominated as Ambassador-designate to Mexico. Mr. Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, author and public commentator, has been awaiting Mexico’s agrément since his nomination was announced.
Agrément is the formal diplomatic consent a receiving country must grant before an ambassador can assume duty, and without it no posting can be finalized.
In the meantime, Mr. Omokri has updated his public profiles to reflect the “Ambassador-designate” title, a move that has drawn both congratulations and jabs online. Commentators noted that with the delay stretching on, he may become Nigeria’s first “Ambassador-designate, retired in waiting.”
He is not alone. Olumilua Oluwayimika Ayotunwa, nominated and posted to Japan, is also still awaiting Japan’s agrément. The Ministry has not announced a timeline for either response, and diplomatic sources say delays of several months are not unusual when host governments are conducting their own vetting.
Two other nominees will not be proceeding. Grace Bent, nominated for Togo, formally declined the appointment shortly after it was announced. Mohammed Mahmud Lele, nominated for Algeria, died before the process could be completed.
The near-completion of the ambassadorial list comes at a critical time for Nigeria’s foreign policy. With 65 envoys either confirmed or already deployed, Abuja is pushing to fill vacancies that have left several missions run by chargés d’affaires. Mexico and Japan are both significant partners for Nigeria. Mexico is a key market for Nigerian solid minerals and agricultural exports, while Japan remains one of Nigeria’s largest sources of development assistance and technical cooperation.
Analysts who expressed their thoughts on the development in a chat with our Correspondent said the prolonged gaps in ambassadorial leadership can slow trade negotiations, consular services for Nigerians abroad, and bilateral engagements. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to continue follow-ups with Mexico City and Tokyo to expedite responses.
For now, Mr. Omokri continues his public engagements while waiting on a diplomatic green light that may or may not come. Whether the agrément arrives this year, or the nomination lapses with a change in administration, his case has become a talking point about how politics, protocol, and patience intersect in Nigeria’s foreign service.
As of time of this report, the Senate and the Presidency have not indicated plans to withdraw or replace the two pending nominees.
