President Bola Tinubu has issued a directive for the recall of Nigeria’s ambassadors, a statement confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This announcement was conveyed through a statement by Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar.
In response to inquiries concerning the recall of the Nigerian ambassador to the UK, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar emphasized that all ambassadors, whether career diplomats or noncareer appointees, have been summoned on the instructions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Ambassadors, as representatives of Nigeria, serve at the president’s discretion, and he has the authority to appoint or recall them from any foreign posting, as articulated in the statement.
Previously, President Tinubu had recalled Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Ishola, who had been appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021.
In a letter dated August 31, 2023, Minister Tuggar conveyed that this decision marked the conclusion of Ambassador Ishola’s tenure as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Kingdom. The letter instructed Ishola to initiate the process of concluding his responsibilities, formally bid farewell to the UK government within a sixty-day period, and return to Nigeria no later than October 31, 2023.
Meanwhile, the letter expressed President Tinubu’s gratitude for Ambassador Ishola’s service as Nigeria’s Ambassador and Principal Representative in the United Kingdom. It extended well wishes for his future endeavors and anticipated his return to Abuja.
