The Federal Government is currently vetting individuals to fill diplomatic positions across its 109 missions, including 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates, DAILY GAZETTE reports

Sources familiar with the process have revealed that former Minister of Aviation under President Obasanjo, Femi Fani-Kayode, and former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro, are among the nominees for these ambassadorial roles.

It has been further reported that the vetting process is decentralized, with candidates required to report to the nearest Department of State Services (DSS) office for screening.

A Presidency official, who spoke under anonymity, confirmed that several candidates had already been asked to provide personal details, including their educational and professional backgrounds.

“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),” the official revealed.

A second source added, “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.”

Since September 2023, President Bola Tinubu has been operating his foreign policy, which includes his 4Ds—Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora—without appointing ambassadors.

That month, Tinubu undertook a sector-wide review of Nigeria’s foreign policy, which led to the recall of over 83 career and non-career ambassadors from their positions.

Sources close to the President confirmed that he spent part of his holiday in December reviewing the names of ambassadorial nominees and intended to submit a consolidated list to the National Assembly by the end of the month.

However, reports from January indicated a change of plans.

The delay in the process was reportedly due to financial constraints, particularly the $1 billion required to address the arrears owed to foreign service officials, replace aging vehicles, and renovate embassy buildings.

A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained, “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. Some of them don’t even have power and running water. So, if you post ambassadors there today, you’re sending them to trouble.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, also acknowledged the delays, attributing them to financial limitations. “It is a money problem,” Tuggar stated during a ministerial briefing in Abuja last May.

He emphasized the importance of funding to ensure the effective operation of missions abroad, stating, “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.”

A foreign service official explained that while provisions had been made in the 2025 budget to address some of the financial challenges, the funds were still insufficient.

Although the full list of nominees is classified, senior Presidency and foreign service officers confirmed that several high-profile and controversial figures are being screened for the positions.

One official remarked, “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.”

“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.”

Another official explained the reason behind the thorough vetting, stating, “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.”

Although rumors circulated that Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was also on the list, a credible source within the Presidency denied it, stating, “Reno is not on the list. But FFK is there.”

Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, also weighed in on the delay, explaining that the ambassadorial list includes both career and political ambassadors.

He added, “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.”

Two of the nominees contacted for comment declined to speak on the matter, neither confirming nor denying their inclusion in the list.

INEC Chairman, Yakubu, 

The Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILoT), the foremost sociopolitical body representing the Itsekiri people, has strongly rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) proposed ward delineation for Warri Federal Constituency, describing the exercise as “biased, compromised, and inequitable.”

Speaking with journalists in Asaba over the weekend, Sir Amorighoye Mene, the Secretary of ILoT, stated that the Itsekiri nation would challenge the report legally, asserting that the delineation process was flawed and lacked fairness.

The proposed delineation was presented by INEC during a stakeholders’ meeting in Asaba, Delta State, in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling that mandated the fresh delineation of wards and polling units.

The Warri Federal Constituency comprises Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West local government areas.

Mene criticized INEC’s approach for allegedly disregarding the voting strength of different ethnic groups in the constituency, warning that if implemented, the Itsekiri people could be politically marginalized.

He called on INEC to ensure fairness by using the number of registered voters in each area as the basis for the delineation.

He further alleged that the Supreme Court judgment leading to the delineation was “surreptitiously” obtained, noting that INEC and other relevant stakeholders had not defended the case.

Mene accused INEC of selectively applying the Supreme Court ruling to Warri Federal Constituency, hinting at a hidden agenda by the electoral commission.

“We were not given the opportunity to speak or react at the venue of the unveiling because they knew they had done things inimical to our interest. But we have reviewed the report given to us and the entire Itsekiri nation completely condemns and rejects the work done by INEC.”

“We not only condemn it, we reject it in its entirety because the fears we had earlier on at the start of the exercise have been proven correct—that INEC will not be fair and just in the process. The report they unveiled today shows that INEC is very biased and anti-Itsekiri,” he stated.

Mene elaborated on the situation in the Warri North, stating that Itsekiris had historically had six wards while the Ijaws had four since 1999.

However, under the new report, Itsekiris, with 75,912 registered voters and 134 polling units, now have eight wards, while the Ijaws, with 35,480 voters and 58 polling units, now have 10 wards.

Mene emphasized that similar discrepancies existed in Warri South-West and Warri South.

In Warri South-West, Itsekiris, with 94,074 registered voters and 175 polling units, now have only five out of the 19 wards delineated by INEC.

Meanwhile, the Ijaws, with 95,046 registered voters and 147 polling units, now have 14 wards.

In Warri South, the Itsekiris, with 88,309 registered voters and 174 polling units, now have eight wards, while the Urhobos, with 38,000 voters and 72 polling units, now have 10 wards.

The Ijaws, in the mixed demographic area with approximately 51,517 voters and 105 polling units, have been allocated two wards.

Mene urged INEC to focus on ensuring that eligible voters can conveniently exercise their franchise, based on the number of registered voters in various areas.

“We expect INEC to be fair, equitable, and not biased because ward and polling unit delineation is meant to facilitate the administration of elections based on the number of registered voters in the various communities and areas,” he said.

He further emphasized that INEC’s primary responsibility should be to serve the convenience of voters, not to consider religious or land ownership issues, as it is not a court.

“INEC should concentrate on voters and how they can vote conveniently in the areas they are registered,” he added.

Senator Magnus Abe has urged Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, to stop wasting both his energy and the state’s resources on efforts to prevent the scheduled rally by supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Chief Nyesom Wike, on April 12th.

Abe expressed his disbelief on his verified Facebook page that the Bayelsa government had gone to such lengths to stop Wike from attending the event, despite the Minister clarifying that he had no intention of visiting the state.

He pointed out that, despite Wike’s clarification, the controversy had continued to escalate in Bayelsa.

Abe also referred to the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of movement for all citizens, including Wike.

He reminded Diri that he could not stop Wike from visiting Bayelsa whenever he chose, just as the Bayelsa Governor freely visits Rivers State whenever he wishes.

Abe said: “I have been observing the ongoing frenzy concerning the invitation extended to the FCT Minister to visit Bayelsa, and the Wikephobia that seems to have gripped the state.”

“From the Governor to elders, courts, community leaders, and political figures, everyone seems to be holding meetings and press conferences to prevent one Nigerian Minister from visiting the state.”

“Even though Wike has stated that he has no plans to visit Bayelsa, that statement hasn’t been enough to calm things down.”

“Well, my simple advice to the Bayelsa State Government is this: Save the money spent on anti-Wike press conferences, court cases, and use it for the benefit of your people.”

“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees all Nigerians, including Nyesom Wike, the freedom to move freely within the country.”

“The day Wike chooses to visit Yenagoa, he will, just like Governor Diri visits Port-Harcourt and Abuja whenever he desires.

“As leaders in the South-South, let us learn to use our phones. A simple phone call from Governor Diri to Minister Wike could have spared the state all of this unnecessary turmoil and expenses.

“It’s time for us in the South-South to rethink our approach. We could achieve so much more if we focused on cooperation and collaboration.”

The Senate has revealed that 74 lawmakers, out of the 109 members in the upper chamber, voted in favor of imposing a state of emergency in Rivers State.

Senator Yemi Adaramodu, the Senate Spokesman representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, made this disclosure over the weekend during a press briefing at his residence in Ilawe-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

He explained that 74 members voted for the emergency rule, out of the 106 lawmakers present at the session.

He stated: “When the question was put to those in support of the emergency rule in Rivers State, all of them said ‘Yes,’ and nobody said ‘nay’ after the discussions were held.”

“It is very unfortunate that everybody in Nigeria wants to interpret the rules and the constitution of Nigeria the way they like. Over 200 million Nigerians, and over 200 million Nigerians interpret the constitution of Nigeria, as a lawmaker, a lawyer, and a Judge.”

Adaramodu condemned the way some Nigerians interpret the rules and standing orders of the National Assembly, accusing them of claiming that these rules were tailored to favor their specific positions.

“The rules say it must be through a closed session when issues related to security are discussed; you cannot be debating it openly,” he added. “We did not bend the rules; we did what we needed to do!”

He further noted: “Personal feelings are not Law or status. We debated it, and we all agreed in the closed-door session that we were all supporting the emergency rule in Rivers State. After the debate, we included three more clauses beyond what the Presidency brought to the National Assembly. It may not last six months if the atmosphere improves.”

He clarified that the administrator appointed in Rivers State would report not only to the Presidency but also to the National Assembly, which would continue to oversee the administration.

Additionally, a committee consisting of eminent Nigerians would be formed to mediate between the warring factions in the state and submit a report to both the Presidency and the National Assembly.

Adaramodu pointed out that the problem in Rivers State arose from the actions of the Governor and the State House of Assembly, resulting in a situation where governance was paralyzed, with only three lawmakers loyal to the Governor out of 32.

The Senator also addressed accusations that the National Assembly is merely a rubber-stamp body, asserting: “We are not in the Senate with gloves on, to simply go and fight with the executive or other arms of government.”

“That is not our calling. Our calling is to be partners in progress. While we are partners in progress, we make laws; the execution is the responsibility of the executive, and the interpretation lies with the judiciary. We make laws, but we do not execute them.” he said.