Ambassadors or political rewards?

There is something strangely predictable about the way Nigeria reacts whenever a new ambassadorial list is released. We search for meaning, we ask questions, we whisper suspicions, and then we move on as if nothing major just happened. Ambassadorial nominees are not random names written on a sheet of paper. They are the people who will represent two hundred million citizens in foreign capitals, shape our global image, negotiate partnerships, defend our interests, and speak on our behalf when the world asks who we are.

So when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sends a fresh batch of nominees to the Senate, the real question is not who is on the list. It is why they were chosen, and what kind of story their selection is telling about the direction of this administration.

Anyone who has watched Nigerian politics long enough knows that ambassadorial lists are rarely innocent. They are political statements dressed as diplomatic appointments. They reveal alliances, reward loyalties, settle political debts, compensate stakeholders who felt overlooked, calm aggrieved party members, and sometimes place friends of the government in foreign capitals where influence flows like quiet rivers.

But beneath the politics, real individuals exist. People with histories, reputations, ambitions, and networks. People like Victor Adeleke, the respected career diplomat who served as our Consul General in New York. People like Senator Bashir Garba who has long been a loyal figure in the ruling party. People like Peter Ogbang Akwaji, whose political connections in Cross River have always placed him close to the core of power.

People like Abubakar Bello, a former governor with deep roots in the political establishment. Each name has meaning. Each name has weight. Each name signals a certain calculation in the minds of those who compiled that list.

Tinubu understands politics at a level few Nigerian leaders do. He knows that power must be managed, not merely held. He knows that every major appointment has two sides. The side the public sees, and the side that keeps the political engine running. So a list like this will always reflect both competence and loyalty. It will always blend seasoned diplomats with political allies who, in the eyes of the government, have earned a place at the table.

But the real question Nigerians are quietly asking is simple. Were these people chosen because they are the best we have, or because they are the people the system needed to satisfy at this moment?

This is the heart of our national worry. We are a country that often struggles to separate governance from politics. The fear is not that the nominees are unqualified. Many of them have years of experience behind them. The fear is that Nigeria has not yet built a culture where appointment lists are driven by the clarity of national strategy rather than the rituals of political balancing.

Yet it would be unfair to dismiss the entire list as a political reward. There are names that genuinely carry weight in international diplomacy. There are scholars, administrators, technocrats, and diplomats whose careers have prepared them for this moment. There are individuals whose understanding of global systems could translate into meaningful progress for Nigeria if they are allowed to work without political interference.

Still, there is a larger conversation we must not shy away from. Nigeria’s foreign policy has been stagnant for too long. We have lost influence in West Africa. Our voice is quieter in continental affairs. Our embassies abroad often struggle with funding, and citizens complain of neglect when they need help most. An ambassador today is not just a ceremonial figure who attends events and hosts dinners. The world has become brutally competitive. Countries are negotiating trade, technology, security, energy, migration, investment, digital partnerships, and cultural influence at a speed that demands sharp minds at the forefront.

So the question returns: are these nominees the kind of people who can reshape Nigeria’s global identity? Every administration has a moment when the world watches to see what direction it wishes to take. Sometimes the answer lies not in public speeches but in the people it sends out as its representatives. An ambassador is a mirror. The world looks at them and concludes what your country values. A strong list sends a message of seriousness. A weak list sends a message of carelessness. A balanced list sends a message of intention.

Tinubu’s list sits somewhere between strategy and politics, between loyalty and professionalism, between the demands of governance and the realities of power. And maybe this is the most honest reflection of where Nigeria stands today.

A nation caught between what it hopes to become and the old habits it has not fully outgrown.

Yet we cannot ignore that the selection process itself could become a turning point. If the Senate rises above partisanship and subjects each nominee to rigorous questioning, Nigeria may walk away with a team that is truly ready for the world. But if the confirmation becomes another rubber stamp exercise carried out in the spirit of politics as usual, then we will have wasted an opportunity to redefine our global posture.

Nigeria’s future will be shaped not only by the people who lead us at home but also by the voices that speak for us abroad. These nominees will become the face of the nation in rooms where decisions are made, where alliances begin, and where opportunities are born. That alone demands seriousness.

Tinubu has played his hand. The names are on the table. The Senate will do what the Senate chooses to do. But soon, the world will meet these ambassadors one by one. And when they speak, when they negotiate, when they defend our interests, when they represent our flag in places where Nigeria is often misunderstood, their performance will reveal whether this list was truly built on merit or simply constructed to satisfy the demands of politics. In the end, history will not remember who sent the list. It will remember what the list achieved.

Shaakaa can be reached via [email protected]

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