President Bola Tinubu has recalled all Nigerian ambassadors, with the exception of two, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed this on Saturday.
He said in a statement: “Sequel to the inquiries on the letter recalling the Nigerian ambassador to the UK, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar has reaffirmed that all career ambassadors and noncareer ambassadors have been recalled on the instructions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Abdulkadir said ambassadors, as representatives of the country, serve at the discretion of the president, making it his prerogative to summon them from any nation.
However, in another statement, presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, said Nigeria’s United Nations Permanent Representatives in New York and Geneva be exempted from this total recall, in view of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, holding later this month.
Ngelale added that by the directive of the President, the recall of the affected officers takes immediate effect.
Earlier, Tinubu had recalled Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Ishola, who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021.
In a letter dated August 31, 2023, Tuggar stated that the decision signalled the end of Ishola’s tenure as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Kingdom.
“By this communication, you are now expected to commence the process of winding down your affairs, and take formal leave of your host government within sixty days and to return to Nigeria by 31st October 2023 at the latest,’ the document read.