Tinubu govt risks diplomatic embarrassment over ambassadorial postings – ADC warns

2026-03-06 - 17:57

By Luminous Jannamike The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Friday warned that the Federal Government’s announcement of ambassadorial postings could expose Nigeria to diplomatic embarrassment abroad and weaken the country’s standing in international diplomacy. The opposition party said announcing the postings before getting the consent of host countries breaks established diplomatic protocol and raises fresh concerns about how the government is managing Nigeria’s foreign relations at a time the country needs strong representation across the world. In a statement by Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, the party criticised the approach of the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying it runs counter to the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. “After nearly three years in office, and three months after the Senate confirmation of the ambassadors, today’s announcement by the State House puts the cart before the horse and demonstrates the Tinubu administration’s inability to grasp the basic protocol of diplomatic relations. “Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, particularly Article 4, a sending state must first obtain the consent, known as agrément, of the receiving state before officially appointing or announcing a head of mission. Requests for agrément are a foundational principle of international diplomacy and are normally done through diplomatic channels. “By announcing appointments and then requesting consent, it indicates that the government does not know what it is doing. You cannot announce postings and then state in the same statement that you are only requesting agrément. “This absurdity becomes even more apparent when one considers that the receiving country reserves the right to accept or reject a nomination after conducting its due diligence. It is in order to save the sending country the embarrassment that a rejection may cause that the process is usually done behind the scenes. But this government does not get it,” the party added. Beyond the procedure itself, the ADC also raised concerns about the number of diplomatic missions that may remain without ambassadors. Nigeria currently maintains about 109 diplomatic missions worldwide, but the government announced only 65 ambassadors in the latest postings, leaving several missions without envoys. “Equally troubling is the incomplete nature of the announcement itself. Nigeria maintains 109 diplomatic missions worldwide, yet the government has announced only 65 ambassadors. “What happens to the remaining 44 missions? Are those posts to remain vacant indefinitely while Nigeria’s diplomatic presence continues to shrink at a time of rising global uncertainty? Is Nigeria closing down or degrading these missions? What strategy would have informed this choice? “After the blunder of similarly announcing postings to the UK, the United States and France last year, including sending an unscreened ambassador to Turkey, we would have expected the government to learn its lessons and course-correct,” the party stated. The ADC also questioned why it took months after the ambassadors were nominated before the government moved to seek the consent of the countries where they are expected to serve. “Characteristically, the Tinubu government appears more concerned with responding to political pressure than doing the right thing. The question is: why did the government wait more than three months after nominating these ambassadors before requesting consent? “We also note how conspicuously silent the government is on the US mission. “The Tinubu government has 449 days left. And, as we have repeatedly warned, this may be the first administration in Nigeria so incompetent that it cannot even appoint ambassadors at a time when Nigeria needs to sit at the table at the highest levels of global governance. The damage that would do to the country is indeed hard to contemplate.” Vanguard News