By Ope Adetayo
Nigeria’s government has started vetting potential candidates to lead its more than 100 diplomatic missions, with appointments expected “very soon”, 18 months after President Bola Tinubu recalled all ambassadors, sources familiar with the matter said.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist insurgents in West Africa, has operated without ambassadors since September 2023.
The minister of foreign affairs has previously blamed a lack of funds for the delay in naming new diplomats.
A government source told Reuters that the issue “is being resolved” and “that means the appointment will be announced very soon.”
Nigeria’s security services were conducting background checks on possible appointees and had started sharing their findings with the relevant agencies within the presidency and legislature, an intelligence official told Reuters.
A spokesperson from the presidency referred questions to the foreign affairs ministry, which declined to comment.
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