Ex-Diplomat Flags Red Alerts In Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees

A former Nigerian diplomat, Ambassador M.K. Ibrahim, has expressed deep concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s recently submitted ambassadorial nominees list, describing it as a “symptom of a deeper malaise” within Nigeria’s diplomatic service.

President Tinubu had last week forwarded a list of ambassadorial nominees to the National Assembly for screening and confirmation.

However, the announcement has generated widespread reactions across the country, with many Nigerians questioning the suitability andcredibility of some of the nominees.

Reacting to the development during an interview on Arise Prime Time, Ibrahim, who served Nigeria in several countries, said the unusual public outcry surrounding the list is unprecedented in the country’s diplomatic history.

“Well, it came with some elements of shock. To me, it is a symptom of a greater, deeper malaise in the Nigerian diplomatic service,” he said.

He noted that Nigeria’s diplomatic service predates the country’s independence, stressing that never in the past had ambassadorial appointments generated such widespread controversy.

“The Nigerian diplomatic service is 68 years old, older than independent Nigeria. Since 1957 or 1958, we have posted ambassadors and high commissioners to different parts of the world. We never had this kind of reaction, contentious receptions on social and traditional media, like this,” Ibrahim stated.

According to him, early Nigerian leaders, particularly Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, placed strong emphasis on intellectual capacity and professional competence in diplomatic appointments.

“Tafewa Balewa emphasised that to be a diplomat at that time, you need to be well-educated intellectually and professionally. You needed good moral character and loyalty to the country. If you use that as a criterion today and look at the kind of people on the list,” he said.

Ibrahim explained that in the early years of Nigeria’s independence, nearly all ambassadorial positions were filled by career diplomats. Even when political appointees began to emerge, they were individuals with strong backgrounds in public service.

“When we started, it was almost like 99 percent career. Later on the politicians started coming in. But then in those days, these are people who had substantive public service experience, and they had no problem.

“But when you start bringing in people who have absolutely no public service experience, people whose credibility even has a question mark, then we’re running into trouble,” he lamented.

Ibrahim warned that the negative public feedback is already damaging Nigeria’s diplomatic image.

“In the past week, there is hardly any diplomatic mission in Nigeria that has not been 24 hours going through posts on social media. Most of them are negative, and they are writing reports to their countries, he said.

He further suggested that some nominated individuals might face rejection by host nations due to their controversial records.

“If you appoint someone as ambassador who already has baggage, who has written things against his own country, how do you expect the host country to receive him? I won’t be surprised if some countries refuse to accept some of the nominees,” he added.

He also expressed concern over the trend of recycling political figures into positions.

“In the good old days, if you were chairman of the Public Service Commission for example, you don’t come back and take any appointment again in the civil service. You are finished with that. But now anything goes in this country,” he lamented.

However, The former diplomat called for a more rigorous and strategic screening, comparable to international standards.

“Before you even get to the Senate in the US, it is already known why you’re being posted to a particular country. Do you speak the language? Do you understand the culture? Do you have any conflicting interests there? But here, the Senate doesn’t even know where most of these people are going,” he said.

Ibrahim also criticised what he called the erosion of proper diplomatic training in Nigeria, saying, “You can imagine someone who, two weeks ago, didn’t have the slightest idea they would become an ambassador, and then in the next one month or two, after a one-week induction, they are posted abroad.”

He further revealed that several foreign diplomats in Nigeria have been stranded for months without formal recognition.

“I’m aware now there are almost 20 ambassadors who have been here some upwards of three months. They have not been able to present their letters of credence to the president.

“They can’t function. They can’t officially operate, they can’t fly their flag. They can’t go to the foreign ministry. They can only sneak to a diplomatic reception. Some of them have only two years to spend in Nigeria and months are already gone doing nothing. We need to be more serious,” he added.

The National Assembly is expected to begin the screening of the nominees in the coming days amid growing public scrutiny.