The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for failing to appoint ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions, calling the prolonged diplomatic vacuum a national embarrassment with damaging consequences for the country’s international standing.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that Nigeria had been without accredited ambassadors since 2023, following the Tinubu administration’s recall of 109 diplomats worldwide.
“This is the longest Nigeria has gone without ambassadors in its foreign missions. If this embarrassing absence is allowed to persist, other countries may begin to downgrade their representation in Nigeria. Unfortunately, Nigerians, especially those abroad, will suffer the consequences,” the statement read.
The party said the delay showed a lack of urgency and a poor grasp of global diplomacy on the part of the government. It warned that the situation was already straining Nigeria’s relations with key partners like the United States and the United Arab Emirates, especially in areas such as visa processing and consular services.
“Junior diplomats and chargés d’affaires cannot replace ambassadors. They lack the access, recognition, and authority to fully represent Nigeria’s interests abroad,” the party noted.
The ADC further said the morale of Nigeria’s foreign service professionals had declined and warned that the country was being sidelined in major global engagements where high-level representation is vital.
“While other African nations assert themselves in Washington, Beijing, and Moscow, Nigeria remains stuck in neutral, unable even to introduce itself,” it added.
The party also condemned what it described as a recent diplomatic blunder involving the government’s response to a request by the United States to receive deported Venezuelan nationals. It criticised the foreign minister’s public comments on a television programme, calling them “reckless and undiplomatic.”
The ADC urged President Tinubu to urgently appoint ambassadors and restore dignity to Nigeria’s diplomatic presence abroad.
“Nigeria cannot afford to be absent on the global stage any longer,” the statement concluded.
