Soon after the United States President, Donald Trump threatened recently to take strong measures to, in his words, ‘completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing …horrible atrocities’ in Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decided to revisit the imperative of appointing envoys to man Nigeria’s missions abroad.

It may be recalled that, since September 2023 when, according to press report, the Federal Government recalled the envoys in 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates with a view to reassess the country’s foreign policy, these post have remained unmanned as appropriate and I should add, as absolutely necessary. Over time, well-articulated views have been expressed by public affairs commentators on the necessity to fill these positions.

In the face of a Trump-triggered new sense of urgency on national security, it is reported that the President has set in motion the process to appoint envoys. I feel both professional and patriotic duties to add my voice to the justification for urgent but also well-thought- through appointment of capable men and women to our foreign missions.

Having served in Nigeria’s Foreign Service across multiple administrations, I have come to appreciate that diplomacy at its core is not merely about postings or protocol. It is a projection of national purpose.

Ambassadors are not ceremonial placeholders; they are instruments of national strategy. They serve as representatives of a country’s sovereign presence abroad, giving voice, shape, and continuity to its foreign policy. In turbulent times, especially those marked by insecurity or global skepticism, they serve as the first port of call to stabilise relations. This presence is not a luxury, but a necessity.

This is why the absence of Nigerian ambassadors in key capitals is not just a logistical gap; it is a symbolic silence. It has left Nigeria underrepresented in the very conversations where global partnerships are forged, where economic opportunities are negotiated, and where perceptions are shaped.

We have to understand that perceptions can range from attracting foreign direct investment to garnering international solidarity to nipping false narratives in the bud. If I may invoke Henry Kissinger, whose thinking helped shape modern diplomacy, we need to understand that foreign policy is also about shaping global developments. However, to shape global developments, one must be present. To be present, one must be fully represented.

Going by the current spat between the two countries, it would appear that whatever ‘wisdom’, may have informed the precipitated delay of deploying ambassadors is regrettable. It is therefore important, going forward, to appreciate the centrality of diplomatic presence as a cornerstone of our overall national security strategy. We cannot afford to leave strategic issues such as this to chance.

Finally, to those who have suggested that ambassadors could not have stopped Nigeria’s past designations or security crises, I say: perhaps not. But diplomacy is subtle, cumulative, and preventive. It is never dramatic in its wins. It is not the ambassador’s task to fight insurgencies, but it is their task to ensure that Nigeria’s perspectives are heard clearly and authoritatively in the corridors of power abroad.

This is also why when we fail to appoint ambassadors, we send an unintended signal to the world that we have conceded the global stage to others and we leave our future and our narrative to be shaped in rooms where our seats are empty.

Diplomacy, therefore, is not about appointments. It is about purpose. Whatever this purpose is. And purpose, like every worthwhile endeavour, must be funded. Mark you that in diplomacy, just as in any sphere of human endeavour, you reap what you sow. For a country, it is perfectly within its choice, for good or for ill, to be strategic or casual in formulating national purpose and interest.

Onemola is a former Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative for Nigeria to the United Nations. He wrote from Abuja.