By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Nigeria is finally moving to fill its diplomatic leadership positions after operating without ambassadors for a year and a half.
The government has begun screening potential candidates to head its more than 100 diplomatic missions around the world, according to a Reuters report citing sources close to the matter.
President Bola Tinubu recalled all ambassadors in September 2023, shortly after taking office. Now, appointments are expected “very soon,” one government source told Reuters.
“The issue is being resolved,” the source said, indicating that the long diplomatic vacuum may be coming to an end.
Nigeria’s security services are currently conducting background checks on potential appointees and have started sharing their findings with relevant agencies in the presidency and legislature, according to an intelligence official who spoke with Reuters.
The foreign affairs ministry has previously blamed financial constraints for the delay in naming new diplomats. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and an important Western ally in fighting Islamist insurgents in West Africa, has budgeted N302.4 billion ($198.30 million) this year to operate its foreign missions.
A former Nigerian ambassador who served in Africa and the United States noted that since taking office in May 2023, President Tinubu has focused primarily on addressing Nigeria’s struggling economy, with foreign policy taking a lower priority.
The former ambassador, who requested anonymity, said government officials had informed him that several foreign leaders had raised concerns about Nigeria’s lack of ambassadors during discussions with President Tinubu.
According to this source, the president has assured these leaders that appointments will be made soon.