Several ambassadors recently nominated by President Bola Tinubu may face difficulty securing acceptance from host countries due to concerns over the limited duration of their expected tenure, according to findings.
Senior officials in the Presidency and the foreign service said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is grappling with challenges in obtaining agrément—the formal consent required from receiving states—for some nominees, as Nigeria approaches the end of Tinubu’s first term in office.
Nigeria’s next presidential election is scheduled for February 2027, while Tinubu’s tenure ends in May 2027. Officials said some host countries may be reluctant to accept ambassadors whose service would last less than one or two years, a period many countries consider the minimum for an effective diplomatic posting.
A senior foreign service official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said several countries insist that an ambassador’s tenure align with the remaining life of the sending country’s administration.
“By the time agrément is granted, some ambassadors may have only a few months left,” the official said, adding that discussions are ongoing on how to address the issue.
Career diplomats typically serve tours of about three years. Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, receiving states must grant agrément before an ambassador can be accredited and are not required to provide reasons for refusal.
Tinubu recalled all career and non-career ambassadors from 109 missions in September 2023, about four months after assuming office, citing the need to improve efficiency in foreign service delivery. The recall affected 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates, leaving most missions without substantive heads.
Only Nigeria’s permanent representatives to the United Nations in New York and Geneva were exempted, along with the ambassador to Niger Republic, due to the political situation there.
It was not until November 2025—more than two years later—that Tinubu submitted the first list of ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation. The initial batch of three names was followed days later by an additional 32 nominees. As of January 2026, at least 67 individuals have been nominated.
On Jan. 22, Tinubu confirmed the postings of Ayodele Oke to France, Col. Lateef Are (retd.) to the United States and Amin Dalhatu to the United Kingdom. Other nominees are expected to be deployed to countries including China, India, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and South Africa, as well as multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, UNESCO and the African Union.
Officials said delays in confirmation and administrative processes could further complicate acceptance, noting that nominees must attend a mandatory retreat, receive post briefs and await agrément before assuming duty.
A foreign service official said some ambassadors may not resume duties until August 2026, leaving less than a year before elections.
“Some countries conduct extensive background checks or delay responses,” the official said. “In some cases, they may simply not respond for months.”
A Presidency official confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is handling the agrément process and said postings would not be publicly announced until receiving states grant approval.
“When a country rejects a nominee, it becomes an embarrassment if the posting has already been announced,” the official said.
Former ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, said receiving countries were acting pragmatically by considering Nigeria’s political calendar.
“Elections can go either way,” he said. “Some countries may delay agrément rather than receive an envoy whose principal may leave office within a year.”
Amedu-Ode described the delay in nominating ambassadors as a misstep, saying postings should have been concluded earlier in the administration.
However, Nigeria’s former ambassador to Algeria, Mohammed Mabdul, said outright rejection of nominees by friendly countries was unlikely, noting that diplomacy is often reciprocal.
Mabdul added that political appointees may face greater challenges than career diplomats, given expectations that ambassadors typically serve for two to three years.
Nigeria’s foreign missions have remained without ambassadors since September 2023, raising concerns among critics that the country risks diminished diplomatic engagement.
