Tinubu Moves to Rebuild Nigeria’s Diplomatic Frontline as Global Pressures Intensify
By: NaijaEnquirer Staff
President Bola Tinubu has taken decisive steps to restore ambassadorial leadership at key foreign missions, nominating three senior figures for postings to the United States, the United Kingdom and France. The move marks the most significant shift in Nigeria’s diplomatic posture since the recall of all ambassadors more than a year ago.
A Strategic Trio for Critical Capitals
The President’s nominees, Ayodele Oke, Colonel Lateef Are (retd.), and Amin Dalhatu—were formally forwarded to the Senate on Wednesday for confirmation. Their postings, according to presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, will be finalised once the Senate completes its screening process.
Amin Dalhatu previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea during the Buhari administration, earning praise within the foreign service for steadiness in a difficult posting.
Ayodele Oke, a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency and alumnus of Emory University, brings decades of intelligence and diplomatic experience, including service at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
Colonel Are, a former Director General of the State Security Service and later National Security Adviser, is widely regarded as one of the most experienced hands in Nigeria’s security architecture. He graduated with First Class honours in Psychology from the University of Ibadan.
The nominations were read aloud by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who directed the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to report back within a week.
Diplomatic Vacuums and Growing Concern
Tinubu’s appointments follow months of pressure on the government to fill top diplomatic posts left vacant since September 2023, when the President recalled the entire cadre of ambassadors as part of a broad restructuring.
Former External Affairs Minister, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, had warned that Nigeria could not afford prolonged gaps in ambassadorial representation. In a September interview, he argued that while technology had changed the flow of information, diplomacy “still runs on ambassadorial contact”.
Career diplomats echoed this concern, noting that many embassies have been run by chargés d’affaires for more than a year. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended the missions’ performance, it acknowledged long-standing structural and funding challenges affecting foreign service operations.
Pressure From Washington and the Final Push
The speed with which the new nominations have emerged reflects not only domestic pressure but also an increasingly tense diplomatic environment. Senior officials told The Times that Tinubu recently instructed security agencies to finish vetting new envoys immediately, following harsh rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, reports suggested the U.S. President had raised the prospect of military measures over disputed allegations of Christian persecution—comments that alarmed Abuja and accelerated conversations around strengthening Nigeria’s representation in Washington.
The absence of a substantive ambassador in the U.S. capital has particularly troubled policymakers, who argue that Nigeria has lacked the diplomatic weight necessary to manage fast-moving geopolitical tensions.
Rebuilding Influence Abroad
The ambassadorial nominations, when finalised, are expected to anchor a wider diplomatic overhaul. Nigeria’s missions in major world capitals have operated with limited political authority for over a year, a vacuum that analysts say weakened Abuja’s voice on global security, economic partnerships and regional stability.
With the appointments now moving to the Senate, the Tinubu administration appears determined to restore Nigeria’s diplomatic presence and project greater clarity at a time of heightened global scrutiny.
How quickly these nominees assume office—and how effectively they can rebuild relationships in Washington, London and Paris—may shape Nigeria’s international standing in the months ahead.
