Former foreign minister advises Tinubu to name additional professional diplomats as ambassadors

Ike Nwachukwu, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, has criticized President Bola Tinubu's preference for appointing politicians as ambassadors, stating that this trend is detrimental to the morale and career advancement of Nigeria's diplomatic corps.

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Nwachukwu made these comments in Abuja on Tuesday, during the public presentation of "Fragment of Time: My Foreign Service Year," a memoir written by veteran diplomat Eineje Onobu.

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The retired Major General expressed concern that the increasing reliance on non-career ambassadors is blocking the career progression of young diplomats, who are finding it difficult to rise through the ranks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Nwachukwu stated that he is unhappy with the current situation, where the government's preference for political appointees has made it almost impossible for career diplomats to become ambassadors, despite their years of service and training.

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He advocated for a return to the 70-30 ratio, where 70 percent of ambassadors are career diplomats and 30 percent are non-career diplomats, or even an 80-20 ratio, to allow young diplomats to reach the top of their careers.

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Nwachukwu's comments come 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.

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The list of confirmed nominees comprises 34 career ambassadors, 31 non-career ambassadors, and high commissioners, totaling 65 confirmed nominees.

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Another former Foreign Affairs Minister, Sule Lamido, emphasized the importance of national pride, inclusiveness, and cultural identity in diplomacy, drawing from his own experience in office, where he had to bridge the gap between political appointees and career diplomats.

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Lamido rejected any notion of inferiority in Nigeria's international engagements, stating that Nigeria is a sovereign nation with a rich history and pride, and must assert this in all its engagements.

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Onobu, the author of the memoir, 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, which began for him in 1985 at Nigeria's Permanent Mission in New York.

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Onobu credited Nwachukwu with influencing his rise in the diplomatic service, stating that Nwachukwu had told him from the beginning that he would become an ambassador and made it happen, supporting his appointment and ensuring he was posted to a strategic country.

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Godknows Igali, Chairman of the organizing committee, underscored the importance of documenting Nigeria's diplomatic history, describing the foreign service as a community bound by national interest, and highlighting the significance of Onobu's memoir in capturing decades of diplomatic engagement.

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Igali described the memoir as a significant contribution, offering rare insight into Nigeria's foreign policy evolution, and stated that it is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to understand Nigeria's diplomatic journey over the past 50 years.