- Ibrahim insisted that the ambassadorial appointments are financially demanding and must be executed with fiscal responsibility.
- He stressed that Tinubu is prioritising urgent national issues before making ambassadorial appointments.
The senator for Ondo south, Jimoh Ibrahim, has attributed the delay in ambassadorial appointments to financial hurdles facing the federal government under President Bola Tinubu.
President Tinubu, in September 2023, had ordered all serving career and non-career ambassadors to return home, but replacements are yet to be named nearly a year after.
Appearing on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, Ibrahim defended the president’s slow pace, stating that ambassadorial postings demand significant financial resources.
He argued that the Tinubu administration inherited an economy in distress, forcing it to prioritise critical issues before considering foreign postings.
“I’m sure the president will soon appoint ambassadors. Ambassadorial appointments require funding. Nigeria was in a financially dangerous lane when this government came in,” Ibrahim said.
The senator explained that the president’s attention is currently divided among numerous urgent matters requiring immediate action.
“There are lots of problems on the president’s table. He has to look at top priority, very important issues,” he added.
Ibrahim stressed that, while the absence of ambassadors cannot be ignored, financial prudence must guide their appointment to avoid waste.
“And if you say the appointment of ambassadors is a top priority that must be solved now, when the embassies are not collapsing and they are still there, you need to get it right.
“So, you have to use money for other things that are of pressing need and save money to get the ambassadors. But that’s not a justification not to have the ambassadors because the ambassadors are very important appointments in the political system.”
Turning to the United States’ recent visa policy revision, Ibrahim described the development as a strategic move in global diplomacy designed to provoke reactions.
In July, the US government altered its visa regulations for Nigerians, reducing the validity and limiting most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas to a single entry valid for three months.
Ibrahim warned that immediate retaliation was not the best approach, urging Nigerian authorities to embrace diplomacy.
“There are deliberate provocative policies that can trigger reactions when you don’t want to react to some issues in international politics.
“So, the issue is that the ministry of foreign affairs needs to write to the US to ask what is happening,” he said.
He advised that diplomatic engagements should precede any retaliatory actions, highlighting the importance of reciprocal relations in foreign policy.
“You have to understand that we do things in a reciprocal way. You just don’t come up and say because the US said your visa is dropped to three months, you too will immediately confront the USA to say your visa is dropped to three months,” he stated.
According to Ibrahim, the appointment of ambassadors would help Nigeria engage more robustly on diplomatic matters such as the visa policy row.
“What is happening is that as soon as the ambassadors are appointed, they will hold briefs with their foreign counterparts and resolve it,” he added.
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