The African Democratic Congress has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s ‘persistent failure’ to appoint ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions.

The opposition party said the refusal by Mr Tinubu, two years after coming into office, has continued to have disastrous consequences on the country’s foreign relations and make life more unbearable for Nigerians.

In a statement on Sunday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC observed that it would be the longest Nigeria had gone without duly accredited ambassadors in any of its foreign missions.

The party described the situation as embarrassing, positing that the absence of the ambassadors to foreign mission would give room for other countries to look down on Nigeria

“Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recalled Nigeria’s 109 ambassadors from across the world in 2023, none has been replaced, leaving our country with no voice or representation when decisions are taken that affect our country and our citizens,” the ADC said.

It explained that the country continued to bear the consequences of what the opposition party called the ‘vacuum’ with the bilateral relations, mostly with strategic partners such as the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates.

According to the party, visa processing and consular visits are worsened because many missions are run by junior diplomats or charge de affair, who lack the authority of an ambassador.

“This inexplicable failure of this government to appoint ambassadors has affected the quality of our engagement and relationships with the countries hosting our missions all over the world,” the party added.

It stated that if Mr Tinubu does not urgently appoint ambassadors, other countries may also start to downgrade their representation in Nigeria to the level of charge de affairs to protest at a time that Nigeria needed to put her best foot forward in pursuit of economic diplomacy.

The ADC added, “ADC regrets to note that while countries across the world are busy forming alliances, negotiating trade deals, and securing investment agreements for their nations, Nigeria is not in the room, because we have no high-level diplomatic representation in our missions across the world. While the rest of Africa asserts its presence in Washington, Beijing, and Moscow, Nigeria is stuck in neutral, unable even to introduce ourselves. While the Tinubu administration takes its sweet time to decide which cronies to reward with ambassadorial postings, Nigerians abroad, from our students to our workers and other professionals, are left to suffer all manners of indignity.

“All over the world, Nigeria’s consular services have become even weaker, the morale among foreign service professionals is at its lowest, and our diplomatic missions have become a sorry symbol of a country that no longer takes itself seriously.”