Nigeria to appoint ambassadors, 18 months after worldwide recall

Nigeria's government has started vetting potential candidates to lead its more than 100 diplomatic missions, with appointments expected "very soon", 18 months after President Bola Tinubu recalled all ambassadors, sources familiar with the matter said.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist insurgents in West Africa, has operated without ambassadors since September 2023.

The minister of foreign affairs has previously blamed a lack of funds for the delay in naming new diplomats.

A government source told Reuters that the issue "is being resolved" and "that means the appointment will be announced very soon."

Nigeria's security services were conducting background checks on possible appointees and had started sharing their findings with the relevant agencies within the presidency and legislature, an intelligence official told Reuters.

A spokesperson from the presidency referred questions to the foreign affairs ministry, which declined to comment. The sources declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak on the matter.

Since coming to power in May 2023, Tinubu has prioritised fixing Nigeria's struggling economy, with foreign policy taking a back seat, said a former ambassador who served in Africa and the United States.

The government has this year budgeted 302.4 billion naira ($198.30 million) to run its foreign missions.
The former Nigerian ambassador said he was informed by government officials that the issue of the absence of ambassadors in their countries had come up in discussions between Tinubu and some foreign leaders.

"Assurance had been given that they will soon be appointed," said the former ambassador, who declined to be named.

By Ope Adetayo, Reuters

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Nigeria's anti-graft agency recovers nearly $30 mln in corruption probe

Nigeria's anti-corruption agency has recovered $28.88 million after launching an investigation into alleged fraud at a government ministry responsible for tackling poverty, a spokesperson said.

Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, was suspended in January less than six months after her appointment by President Bola Tinubu, who came to power last year on a promise to revive growth and fight corruption.

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesperson Dele Oyewale said in a statement that the probe, ordered by the president, had uncovered a "system and intricate web of fraudulent practices".

So far, 32.7 billion naira ($28.43 million) and $445,000 had been recovered during the investigation into the activities of past and suspended ministry officials, he said.

"Investigations are ongoing and advancing steadily," Oyewale said.

The EFCC is also examining the potential misuse of COVID-19 funds, a World Bank loan, and loot recovered from former dictator Sani Abacha which was allocated to the ministry for poverty alleviation programs in Africa's most populous country.

The investigation extends beyond individuals, implicating banks that allegedly facilitated the fraud, he said.

"Banks involved in the alleged fraud are being investigated. Managing directors of the indicted banks have made useful statements to investigators digging into the infractions," Oyewale said, without providing details of the banks.

Nigeria has struggled for decades with endemic corruption among senior public officials. Despite being Africa's top oil producer and biggest economy, the country suffers widespread poverty, which many Nigerians blame on the political elite.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

From nuclear deal to military co-operation, Russia continues its push into Nigeria

 

Officials from both countries recently discussed the expansion of a defence pact between Nigeria and Russia.

Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-bek Yevkurov and Chief of Defense Staff of the Nigerian Army Christopher Musa conversed on the subject, as realyed by the Russian embassy.

The embassy further added that both parties seemed pleased with the progress Nigeria and Russia have made regarding military-technical cooperation and discussed plans to deepen the relationship in the area.

Both countries struck an agreement in 2021 for the Russian military to provide training and supplies to its Nigerian counterpart, as seen on Sputnik.

Nigeria and Russia energy deal

Midway into February, Russia and Nigeria got into talks about a nuclear partnership.

The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, made this known during an interview with the Russian newspaper, Sputnik, on the sidelines of the 38th AU Summit in Addis Ababa.

He disclosed that the West African economic giant and Africa’s largest oil producer is currently negotiating a potential partnership with Russia in nuclear energy and several other areas.

"There are so many opportunities that have been discussed. We have discussed atomic energy, we've discussed mining, we've discussed previous investments during the Soviet era that need to be carried on," the minister revealed.

At the start of the year, Nigeria was accepted as a partner state into the BRICS group of nations, where Russia is a primary stakeholder.

Shortly after, Yusuf Tuggar noted that Nigeria would be bolstering its economic cooperation with other BRICS nations across different sectors.

“The formal acceptance to participate as a partner country [of BRICS] underscores Nigeria's commitment to fostering international collaboration, leveraging economic opportunities, and advancing strategic partnerships that align with Nigeria's development objectives,” he stated at the time.

Nigeria’s current membership falls in line with its original goal, as it had stated back in 2023 that it planned to join BRICS within the next 2 years.

By Chinedu Okafor, Business Insider Africa