• ADC, Onwubiko, Baba, Charanchi fault list, task Senate
• Yoruba group, Folarin hail list as PDP demands withdrawal
The list of ambassadors nominated last week by President Bola Tinubu has triggered discordant tunes, coming after Nigerians had long waited to know the eminent Nigerians who will fill the glaring diplomatic vacuum created by the two-year absence of substantive heads for the country’s missions abroad.
Rather than a sigh of relief, individuals and groups expressed disappointment at the quality of individuals who made Tinubu’s list of 15 career and 17 non-career ambassadors.
While some picked holes in the calibre of nominees, others questioned the integrity or experiences of some. For some others, the appointment was lopsided, with the South-West having the lion’s share, which rubbed in the issue of nepotism by the government.
National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, described the list as unfortunate and disgraceful, stressing that the appointments were not based on merit, competencies or any special negotiation skills required to represent the country and advance its interests.
Worried that after two years, President Tinubu ended up “picking internally displaced politicians, sycophants and persons, who are deeply ethically challenged” to represent the country, Onwubiko added: “It was immoral and despicable that President Tinubu has turned the ambassadorial positions as job for the boys or as compensation for dubious politicians, who sabotaged their own political party in the 2023 poll to advance his political interest.
“Femi Fani-Kayode and Reno Omokri were particularly compensated for always pouring insults on Peter Obi and for spreading total falsehoods or half-truths to undermine the integrity and credibility of Obi.”
He also dismissed the appointments of wives of former governors, whose only qualification is marriage to governors who are allies of Tinubu.
Former Zonal Publicity Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South-West, Ayo Fadaka, questioned the integrity of the list.
According to Fadaka, Nigeria deserves quality representation at all levels, especially in its foreign missions.
Fadaka wondered how the likes of Omokri and Fani-Kayode could defend the interests of the country without having or getting a reason to compromise it.
For the National Publicity Secretary, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Prof Tukur Baba, though some faces in the list are controversial and some clearly political, the appointments remained within the power granted to the President.
He, therefore, urged the screening authorities to do due diligence on each of these nominees to ensure that they represent Nigeria and not any other country.
However, the National Coordinator, Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), Jamilu Charanchi, sees the list as a troubling confirmation of the alleged widening regional imbalance under Tinubu’s administration.
“The figures speak for themselves – North-West (five), North-East (five), North-Central (five), South-East (three), South-South (three) and South-West alone secures an overwhelming 11 slots.
“This blatant disproportionality makes a mockery of the federal character principle and further entrenches the perception that national appointments are now tools of political patronage rather than instruments of balanced national representation,” he added.
An international law scholar and rights activist, Dr Festus Ogwuche, feels that Fani-Kayode and Omokri have limited diplomatic experience, which raises concerns about their ability to represent Nigeria effectively.
But while the late nomination may have addressed the issue of absence on one hand, many hoped that the government would also address the problem of paucity of funds, which has been plaguing the country’s foreign missions. Presently, some officials of foreign missions are owed their allowances, while other bills, including office rent, have been of serious concern.
A retired diplomat and former Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ogbole Ode, had warned that international interface remained imperative as Nigeria could not but interface with one another in a globalised world.
“If we have established the imperative nature of that, it means, therefore, that governments must make sure that they provide adequate funding for their diplomatic exchanges.
“Government must ensure that its diplomatic missions are adequately funded to avoid embarrassment.”
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) described the list as a settlement list of political IOUs, stressing that the inclusion of Prof Mahmud Yakubu further undermined the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party pointed out that Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of INEC, coming only two years after supervising the election that brought Tinubu into office, would lend credence to the widespread allegation that the former INEC chief might not have been a neutral umpire in the 2023 election.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC noted that at a time INEC was still mired in a major credibility crisis following the highly disputed 2023 general election, Yakubu’s nomination for an ambassadorial position sends a dangerous message.
However, the reactions were not all negative. Former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, hailed the list while congratulating former First Lady of Oyo State, Dr (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi, on her nomination as an ambassador by Tinubu.
Folarin, the Agba-Akin Olubadan of Ibadanland, in a statement he personally signed, described the nomination as “a well-deserved national recognition and a testament to the exceptional capacity, character, and intellect of the former First Lady.”
He also lauded other ambassadorial nominees, saying they possess the competence and temperament required to project and manage Nigeria’s image in their respective countries of posting.
He was not alone in having Tinubu’s back. The Security Committee of Yoruba Leaders of Thought also lauded Tinubu for nominating former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayo Oke, as ambassador-designate.
In a statement yesterday, the committee’s Convener, Maj-Gen Dayo Olukoju (rtd), said the nomination reflected the President’s continued commitment to identifying Nigerians of “sterling qualities, proven capacity and unquestionable integrity” to drive the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Describing Oke as a seasoned intelligence and diplomatic professional, the group recalled that as NIA Director-General between 2013 and 2017, he oversaw strategic national security operations and intelligence initiatives.
According to the Yoruba Leader of Thought, led by Tajudeen Olusi, Oke brings to the role a wealth of experience as a career diplomat with strong inter-governmental networks and deep knowledge of regional and global security dynamics. Olukoju noted that Oke’s decades of service in both military and civilian intelligence establishments earned him respect for his analytical skills, leadership and grasp of evolving security challenges.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) criticised the list, describing the selection as “scandalous, reprehensible” and reflective of the administration’s values.
The party, therefore, called on President Tinubu to withdraw the list and present new nominees who possess “stellar democratic credentials and high moral standing” capable of projecting Nigeria positively on the international stage.
The opposition party made the remarks in a statement yesterday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong.
According to the PDP, the list contains several individuals it claims are perceived negatively by Nigerians and the international community due to “integrity deficits” and “anti-democratic activities.”
The party argued that the President’s choice of nominees mirrors his own governance philosophy, insisting that “a nominee is a direct reflection of the values and estimation of the nominator.”
PDP further warned that the integrity of a country’s ambassadors significantly shapes its diplomatic reputation.
