As Nigeria’s image continues to bear the brunt of the absence of top level ambassadors to manage the nation’s mission abroad, those knowledgeable in the field have urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently consider appointment of ambassadors, before his second anniversary
Foreign affairs analysts believe that the nation cannot continue to suffer the backlash of not constituting officials of its foreign missions, especially at the topmost levels.
The analyst narrated how Nigeria has continued to be relegated to the background, at international fora
One of them cited a recent ugly incident at the inauguration of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, as President of Namibia, where they failed to acknowledge Nigeria’s presence.
He disclosed that the Nigeria delegation were “ thoroughly embarrassed when that country’s protocol officials failed to recognise and acknowledge the presence of Nigeria’s delegation.
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“ The country suffered humiliation in the Africa nation, that we had helped so much, when they did not even recognize the leader of the delegation, on their protocol list, probably due to poor interface with that country”.
According to the analyst, “ But for the quick intervention of Bianca Odumegu Ojukwu, who had a strong personal relationship with the country’s President, since 2018, it would have been worst
The experts also expressed their concerns over the delayed take off of some joint commissions and other international cooperation agreements, because there are no top level diplomats to drive them
Francis Onuoha, a Political Scientist with the War College, Abuja, however, sees the treatment the citizens of a nation gets outside their country as a combination of several factors, including those of “optics”.
“ It is not so much about having ambassadors, 90% of your country’s treatment in international relations, is about optics or what you call perception.
He noted that President Tinubu’s administration may be working to first strengthen the nation’s economy
“They can protect Nigerian citizens, no doubt, but if your government does not put mechanisms in place to treat citizens well, provide internal security, create equal opportunities to access economic goods, there is no high moral ground to expect better treatments from other countries
“That is why every government works hard to protect citizens from the negative impacts of insecurity, economic hardships, unemployment, hunger, internal strife and all the factors that can reduce the image of that country in the eyes of the international community”
BusinessDay checks also revealed that several activities have either been grounded or scaled down, due to the absence of the ambassadors.
For example, at a recent event in one of the Asian countries, some agreements could not be signed because of last minute cancellations, due to poor protocol arrangements between Nigeria and the country, as a result of the absence of an ambassador.
A Presidency source told BusinessDay that the agreement was dropped from the list because the Nigerian Charge D’ Affair, ( Officer in Charge) lacked that capacity to pull it through.
It was also revealed that some proposals for the establishment of joint commissions between Nigeria and other countries have been “ kept in abeyance” due the absence of ambassadors.
But Yusuf Tuggar had recently, at a Ministerial briefing in Abuja, assured that the list of ambassadors will soon be submitted to the Senate for screening“ I want to assure you that in the near future, names of the nominated ambassadors will be forwarded to the Senate. It is something that is more or less concluded,”
In the interim, Tuggar emphasised that mission officers are managing Nigeria’s embassies and ensuring that diplomatic operations continue without disruption.
Speaking on absence of the ambassadors, Tuggar stated that Nigeria’s missions abroad were being managed by the mission officers
“We have mission officers running the embassies for now. We have immigration, defence, military officers, and several others. It does not mean that the missions are halted simply because an ambassador has not been appointed. Our missions are functioning,”
But a Presidency source who did not want his name in the print, revealed that the list is ready.
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“ I can assure you that just as the Minister said, the list of ambassadors are ready. In fact, they have been ready for quite a long time, but I think the President is biding his time.
“ It is about being thorough to ensure that the right persons are nominated for the job”
But when reminded about the challenges faced by the absence of such ambassadors, our source stated that “ the President knows what he is doing”
John Enemari, a public affairs analyst said Nigeria’s drive for credible foreign investors will get more traction with these diplomats in place to help drive the process.
“ We have seen how such foreign diplomats help their countries get deals for their people here in Nigeria. They protect their citizens and ensure smooth life for their country’s citizens working or doing businesses in Nigeria.
“ As we have seen on several occasions, there is a limit to what junior foreign mission officers can go in getting things done for their country. So, we need these ambassadors in place.
According to him, “ Only very few Nigerian leaders have enjoyed the kind of treatment former President Olusegun Obasanjo gets when he is outside Nigeria
“ You also noticed that many Nigerians were treated better outside the country under his administration, whether as a civilian or military leader.
