President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the delay in appointing ambassadors is due to the difficulty of finalising a comprehensive list that balances competing interests.

Speaking recently, the President acknowledged the public expectation but urged patience. “I couldn’t appoint everybody that I could have appointed, thank you for your patience till now. I still have some slots for ambassadorial positions that too many people are craving for, but it’s not easy stitching together those names,” Tinubu said.

He added that his government’s first priority has been stabilising the economy and restoring hope. “First of all, heal the economy. Bring hope to the people. That is what we stood for. And that hope is here. Thank you for believing in me,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Arise Television’s Director of News, Sumner Sambo, has suggested that budgetary pressures are also a factor in the prolonged delay. Speaking on the station on Tuesday,

Sambo explained that the high cost of sustaining Nigeria’s foreign missions may have influenced the President’s decision.

“You have a classical example here, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that, look, we do not have money. At the moment, our embassies, our high commissions and other places are actually being challenged with funding issues,” Sambo said.

According to him, existing missions are already struggling with basic expenses. “It’s a budgetary constraint, and it’s coming from the National Assembly. Now the basic funding of high commissions are not even being taken care of. Talk more of contracts and all of that,” he added.

Sambo noted that appointing ambassadors would add further costs, including allowances for their families and additional staff, as well as logistics such as vehicles and official residences. “That’s the more reason why you’ve seen that President Bola Tinubu has delayed the appointment of ambassadors for two years plus now, because he’s feeling that the wage bill is high,” he said.

The absence of new ambassadorial appointments since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023 has left several diplomatic missions without substantive heads, with career officers currently managing affairs in many countries. (The Guardian)