Richard Mills, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, has been recalled to Washington as part of diplomatic shake up ordered by President Donald Trump, the United States Embassy in Abuja has confirmed to BusinessDay Newspapers.
The confirmation follows reports by Politico that the Trump administration has begun recalling a number of US ambassadors appointed during the administration of former President Joe Biden, as it moves to realign America’s diplomatic corps with the president’s “America First” foreign policy agenda.
Responding to enquiries from BusinessDay, the US Embassy in Abuja confirmed the development, citing a background briefing from a senior State Department official in Washington.
“Any change in ambassador is a standard process in any administration. An ambassador is a personal representative of the President”, the official said.
According to the Politico report, the recall affects a wave of career diplomats currently serving as ambassadors across multiple regions of the world.
Although the affected envoys are not being dismissed from the US Foreign Service, their roles as chiefs of mission are expected to end by January 2026, after which they will return to Washington for potential reassignment.
Africa has emerged as the region most impacted by the shake-up. Ambassadors serving in at least 13 African countries, including Nigeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Uganda are among those recalled.
Similar moves have also affected diplomatic postings in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and the Western Hemisphere, though on a smaller scale.
A State Department official, speaking on background, described the reshuffling as consistent with presidential prerogative, noting that it is within the president’s authority to appoint envoys who align with his foreign policy priorities.
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The official added that such transitions typically occur during changes in administration.
Nevertheless, the scale of the recalls has raised concerns among foreign policy analysts.
Fred Ezema, a public affairs analyst warned that the abrupt leadership changes could disrupt diplomatic continuity, particularly in regions facing complex security and development challenges.
He cautioned that the transition could temporarily affect coordination on shared priorities, including efforts to combat Boko Haram and other issues
