FG Screens FFK, Pedro, Others

FG screens FFK, Pedro, others as Tinubu moves to fill vacant diplomatic roles

The Federal Government of Nigeria, led by president Bola Tinubu, moves to screen potential candidates for diplomatic roles.

On Sunday, various political appointees from past governments have been shortlisted to vacant fill diplomatic roles in 109 missions, 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 global consulates.

This disclosure was made by a reliable source close to the Presidential Villa, that former Aviation Minister, during the Obasanjo administration, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, and former deputy Governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro, have been shortlisted among others.

The source also revealed that the screening is not staged centrally because the nominees have been asked to visit any Department of State Security (DSS) office close to them.

FG Screens FFK, Pedro, Others

The speculation was also confirmed by Presidency officials, noting that numerous candidates had been contacted to tender their credentials and work history.

“They’re already doing security checks with DSS. When they have cleared security checks, we will release the list.

“Only those who have been cleared are announced. The process is ongoing. I know that we should have a list before the end of this month (April),” one official disclosed, opting to shield his identity as no authorization was given to speak to the press.

A second source said, “The vetting is not done centrally. It is based on the location of the nominees. Nominees have been reached to provide personal history and information such as where they attended school, what appointments they have held, and the like. So, it is by location.”

4D’s Agendum Of The President And Financing Issues

Recalling, since September 2023, has deployed an agendum known as 4Ds−Democracy, Development, Demography and Diaspora−a foreign policy which lacking ambassadors.

FG Screens FFK, Pedro, Others

In the same month, he ran a sector-wide evaluation of Nigeria’s foreign policy, which brought about recalling over 83 career and non-career ambassadors from their stations.

Just last December, a reliable source close to the Presidency confirmed that president Tinubu spent his holiday reviewing the names of nominees with aim to forward a consolidated list to the National Assembly within a few days.

Howbeit, reports in January disclosed that the Tinubu had changed his plans. Reports garnered revealed that the projects encountered unforeseen delay due to funding issues−to the tune of $1bn−needed to settle arrears of foreign service officials, settle a backlog of overheads, replace old vehicles and renovate embassy building.

FG Screens FFK, Pedro, Others

An official who preferred his name anonymous stated: “You see, the major issue is money. Not money to pay them [ambassadors], because how much is their salaries and benefits?

“The main money is CAPEX [Capital Expenditure]. By the time they put the cost together to fix the issues, it is running to almost $1bn.

“Most of those embassies, almost 90 per cent, are rundown. Either the residence is not good, the embassy does not have a functional office, or their rent has expired. The embassies that are buoyant may not be up to 10 as we speak.

“I understand that some of them don’t have serviceable vehicles. The last vehicles they bought were from 10 years ago.

“Some of them are broken down, and ambassadors cannot use such vehicles because they carry the image of the country.

 FG Screens FFK, Pedro, Others

“Some of them don’t even have power and running water. So, if you post ambassadors there today, you’re sending them to trouble.”

Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, also ascribed the delay to financial difficulties.

“It is a money problem,” Tuggar said during a ministerial briefing in Abuja last May.

He argued that appointing ambassadors without the financial resources to support their travel and the effective running of missions abroad was pointless.

“We met a situation where foreign affairs was not being funded like it should be. Some loopholes are exploited by the likes of Binance. It is a money problem.

“There is no point sending out ambassadors if you do not have the funds for them to even travel to their designated countries and to run the missions effectively, one needs funding.

Mr. President is working on it, and it will be done in due course,” Tuggar said.

One foreign service official also highlighted that though provisions were made in the 2025 budget to settle some of the cost, the money available was partially sufficient.

Nominees Shortlisted

Although, senior Presidency and Foreign Service officers say the full list of the shortlisted nominees is highly classifies, but includes some already-screened prominent and controversial figures.

According to an official: “They’re going to announce the appointments soon. They are being screened as we speak.

“The names of the nominees are highly classified for now because not every one of the names listed will eventually make it through.

FG Screens FFK, Pedro, Others

“FFK [Femi Fani-Kayode] is on the list. These are some of the controversial names that have been put forward as well.

“Then there is Fola Adeola [founder of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.] and Femi Pedro too. They’re moving on with the process more quickly this time.”

Throwing weight behind the slow implementation, another shielded official explained that the screening was paramount to do away with complications that might taint the image of the country among the international communities.

“The nominees are being vetted, and background checks are being conducted on them.

It is usually done so that the nominees will not have any security issues and their deployment will not have a negative impact on the country,” the official said.

There has been claim that the list includes the name of aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri. But out rightly denied by a source close to the Presidency.

“Reno is not on the list. But FFK is there,” the source said.

Mr. Bayo Ononuga, the President’s Special Adviser on information and Strategy, who spoke earlier of the delays, noted that nominations for the ambassadorial positions must be rigorous before the final list is forwarded to the National Assembly.

“Don’t forget that the ambassadorial list has two components. There are career ambassadors and political ambassadors.

The foreign affairs list and the consolidated list will still go through certain processes before they are released,” he explained.

FG Screens FFK, Pedro, Others