Nomination Of Sycophants As Ambassadors Unfortunate, Disgraceful – Group

The prominent pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has described the list of ambassadorial nominees recently sent to the National Assembly as unfortunate and disgraceful. The rights group has dismissed some of them as sycophants and men who are ethically challenged, lacking integrity and being selfish.

It emerged over the weekend that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had submitted the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, following the initial submission of three names.

In two separate letters to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, President Bola Tinubu requested that the Senate consider and confirm 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors.

In a media release by the spokespersons of the President, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Nigerians were informed that there were four women on the career ambassadors’ list and six women on the non-career ambassadors’ list.

Among the non-career ambassador designates are Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, a former presidential aide; Reno Omokri (Delta); and others, including Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, a former junior minister of Aviation.

Reacting in a statement issued by the HURIWA and endorsed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the group said the President spent all of two and a half years into his four-year tenure searching for persons to post abroad to represent Nigeria and ended up picking allegedly internally displaced politicians, sycophants and persons who are deeply ethically challenged.

The Rights group said it was immoral and despicable that President Tinubu has turned the ambassadorial positions as the jobs for the boys or as compensation for alleged dubious politicians who sabotaged their own political party in the 2023 poll to advance the political interest of the the current president who ran against such formidable opponents like Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar a former Vice president who was Presidential flag bearer of the PDP.

The Rights group stated that the duo of Femi Fani-Kayode and especially Mr Reno Omokri were particularly targeted for consistently hurling insults at Peter Obi and for spreading total falsehoods or half-truths to undermine the integrity and credibility of Peter Obi.

HURIWA singled out Mr Reno Omokri, a man who was critical of the then-presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he called unprintable names, but capitulated when it was alleged that he had been heavily financially induced by the now-president, Tinubu, to become his full-time praise singer and propagandist.

HURIWA also dismissed the appointments of the wives of former governors, whose sole qualification is that they are married to or were married to governors who are or were allies of President Tinubu. Still, their appointment is not based on merit, competencies, or any special negotiation skills they possess to represent the country and advance Nigeria’s interests.

“Most of these political jobbers appointed as ambassadors are not patriotic citizens and can’t even recite the National Anthem. The National Assembly, unfortunately, is populated by executive boot lickers and legislative sycophants of the president, and so aren’t independent enough to conduct a thorough and profoundly strategic screening of these sycophants and internally displaced politicians picked as ambassadors.”