Ex-foreign affairs minister urges Tinubu to appoint more career ambassadors

A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ike Nwachukwu, has faulted President Bola Tinubu over what he described as a growing preference for political appointees in ambassadorial positions, warning that the trend is undermining morale and career progression within Nigeria’s diplomatic service.

The retired Major General spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the public presentation of “Fragment of Time: My Foreign Service Year,” a memoir by veteran diplomat, Eineje Onobu.

Nwachukwu expressed concerns that the increasing reliance on non-career ambassadors has created a bottleneck for young diplomats who aspire to rise through the ranks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said, “I like to say that I am a bit unhappy to see that the government’s preference for political appointees has made it almost impossible for young men and women who put their lives into training to become career ambassadors on their retirement. This is not right.

“In my time, we had a 70 – 30 ratio. That is 70 per cent of career ambassadors and 30 per cent for non-career ambassadors. We must go back to that. It is frustrating for young men and women to enter service aiming to become an ambassador, but failing to do so because there are no available slots.

“Again, from my background as a soldier, the aim is to be a general. So, let us plead with the government of the day, going forward, to the 70 – 30 ratio or even an 80 – 20 ratio so that these young men and women who put their lives in service reach the top of their career.”

His call comes four months after the Senate confirmed 62 ambassadorial nominees, including former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, and ex-presidential aide, Reno Omokri, following the adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In total, the list comprises 34 career ambassadors, 31 non-career ambassadors and high commissioners, bringing the number of confirmed nominees to 65.

Also speaking at the event, another former Foreign Affairs Minister, Sule Lamido, emphasised the importance of national pride, inclusiveness and cultural identity in diplomacy, drawing from his own experience in office.

“When I became minister, I had no prior experience or exposure. Many of the senior officials were technocrats, and there was a clear gap in orientation and understanding,” he said.

He explained that the initial disconnect reflected differences in background between political appointees and career diplomats.

“They saw me as different—someone coming from outside their system. I had to find a way to bridge that gap and make them understand my vision,” he added.

Lamido also rejected any notion of inferiority in Nigeria’s international engagements.

“I do not believe in being patronised or looked down upon. Nigeria is a sovereign nation with history and pride, and we must assert that in all our engagements,” he said.

In his remarks, the author, Onobu, reflected on the evolution of Nigeria’s foreign policy, highlighting the role of leadership, institutional reforms and strategic vision in shaping the country’s diplomatic trajectory.

He recounted his early career beginning in 1985 at Nigeria’s Permanent Mission in New York, where he worked closely with Remy Hanson, before returning to Nigeria to serve under former Foreign Affairs Minister, Bolaji Akinyemi.

“How he discovered me, I would not know. But he asked me to join him. I spent two years working closely with him across the world on key foreign policy initiatives,” he noted.

Onobu also credited Nwachukwu with influencing his rise in the diplomatic service.

“From the very first day, he told me I would become an ambassador. I didn’t believe it, but he insisted—and he made it happen,” he recounted.

“Not only did he support my appointment, but he also ensured I was posted to a strategic country. I served there for seven years and became Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,” he said.

Chairman of the organising committee, Godknows Igali, underscored the importance of documenting Nigeria’s diplomatic history, describing the foreign service as a community bound by national interest.

“This job of a diplomat is normally in hush tones and whispers behind closed doors. Dispatches and cables are written at night. Sometimes, encrypted and sent to headquarters quietly.

“People don’t get to know how things really happen and how the world has been kept relatively safe despite what is happening in Ukraine and the Gulf. That is the work of diplomats working late at night.

“But because of the culture of another, the real experiences of how policies are made are never told. We inherited that from the colonial powers, particularly the British in the case of Nigeria,” he stated.

Describing the memoir as a significant contribution, Igali said it captures decades of diplomatic engagement and offers rare insight into Nigeria’s foreign policy evolution.

“For anyone seeking to understand Nigeria’s diplomatic journey over the past 50 years, this book is an invaluable resource,” he noted.