Top politicians and technocrats have made the list of ambassadorial nominees who will represent Nigeria in various countries of the world.
Politics Nigeria reports that Nigeria has 109 missions, 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates globally.
Recall that on September 2, President Bola Tinubu recalled all career and non-career ambassadors manning the country’s diplomatic missions, embassies and consulates across the globe.
Sources say a new list containing the names of prospective Nigerian Ambassadors to various countries is currently before President Tinubu for consideration.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that one of those being considered for the top diplomatic jobs is the Founder of Guaranty Trust Bank, Tajudeen Afolabi Adeola, who will be designated Nigeria’s ambassador to one of the world’s top three economies.
“The President has the list and is considering it already. In fact, one of those I saw on the list is Fola Adeola, the Founder of GTB. He is being considered as the Nigerian ambassador to one of the world’s top three economies,” the official said.
Explaining the rationale for the president’s choice, the source noted that the Tinubu administration was keen on deploying technocrats and captains of industry as its front persons in foreign lands.
“There are politicians on the list I saw. But the President is reserving many of the slots for technocrats, people who have built a strong reputation in their respective fields and who have built companies employing thousands of Nigerians. We need people who can use their influence to secure deals and partnerships for the benefit of their country.
“It is not a new thing. When choosing envoys, the most developed economies send their best hands for those jobs. And Tinubu is following that path.
“For example, Adeola is an investor and is not a strange face on the foreign scene and the global business community. He knows them and they know him. And he is not the only one. You can see that this speaks of the administration’s pursuit of more Foreign Direct Investment,” said the source.
It was gathered that the Federal Government had set up a small committee to recommend qualified individuals to fill the ambassadorial roles.
“A committee was set up to make recommendations for career and political ambassadors. You see, most of the career ambassadors already know they are next for appointments. But they don’t know which country they will be sent to,” another source said.
“There are countries where Nigeria has delicate political interests. For these ones, the government usually sends political ambassadors.
“If you remember, President Buhari appointed his former service chiefs as ambassadors to some African countries.”
A third source said given that the President had begun to consider the list, recommended persons would be undergoing background checks as well as other preliminary processes that proceed with such appointments.
“Ambassadorial appointments are not a piece of cake. Nobody the President appoints escapes a background check; talk more of an ambassador.
“But you see, it goes beyond security. They must dig into the professional history of those they want to appoint before those names are finally made public,” the source told Punch.
