The Federal Government has announced that a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and the United States, have approved Nigeria’s ambassadorial nominees by granting them agrément, marking a key step toward filling long-standing diplomatic vacancies.
This update was made public on Monday by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, who revealed that Nigeria has already received approval from ten nations.
Agrément refers to the official consent a receiving country must give before a nominated diplomat can take up an ambassadorial role.
According to the ministry, countries that have so far granted approval include the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Ireland, Qatar, the Republic of Benin, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
“Responses from other countries are still being awaited,” the statement added.
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Ebienfa also noted that efforts to secure approvals from additional countries are ongoing. He explained that the induction ceremony for the appointed envoys would be scheduled once all necessary processes are completed and cleared by the Presidency.
“The date for the induction ceremony will be announced in due course once it is finalised and confirmed by the Presidency,” he said.
This development comes after a prolonged period during which several Nigerian foreign missions operated without substantive ambassadors under President Bola Tinubu.
Since taking office in May 2023, Tinubu has held back on appointing new ambassadors, leaving many diplomatic posts vacant and placing missions under the leadership of chargés d’affaires.
The situation had sparked criticism from observers who warned that the absence of ambassadors could reduce Nigeria’s diplomatic effectiveness and weaken its international relationships, especially in key partner countries.
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In response, the Presidency submitted a list of 65 ambassadorial nominees to the National Assembly toward the end of 2025. Although the nominees were screened in December, their final deployment depends on receiving agrément from the respective host countries.
News Round The Clock earlier reported that some countries, including India, had declined certain nominees, citing diplomatic guidelines that discourage the acceptance of envoys from governments with less than two years remaining in office.
