The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s government for failing to appoint ambassadors to key countries, particularly Washington D.C., the U.S. capital.
This was contained in a statement released on Friday and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
The ADC described the situation as a national embarrassment especially after the U.S. government issued a fresh travel advisory warning its citizens to reconsider travelling to Nigeria due to insecurity and poor healthcare.
“Again, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is alarmed but sadly, not surprised by the latest travel advisory from the United States Government, which now classifies Nigeria as a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” destination.
“For a country with over 200 million people, this is another clear sign that the Tinubu government is not doing its job well. The U.S. clearly pointed out that Nigeria’s healthcare system is falling apart and the government can’t even provide basic emergency services.”
The statement said it’s even more embarrassing that Nigeria has no ambassador in Washington D.C., the same place where the U.S. issued the travel warning.
ADC said they had warned about this serious diplomatic gap just a few days ago.
The party accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of giving flimsy excuses instead of addressing the issue, and said Nigeria has become voiceless on the world stage.
“At a time when our image is under assault and foreign confidence in our systems is plummeting, Nigeria is voiceless at the world’s most important tables thanks to the Tinubu administration. Not even during the civil war did Nigeria not have ambassadors in place for so long.
Since October 2023, when Nigeria recalled its ambassadors, five G7 countries have changed their leaders.
“But Nigeria still hasn’t sent any top diplomats to talk to these new governments and protect our interests. This isn’t just a missed chance. it’s a big failure in our foreign relations,” the statement added.
According to the ADC, the government says it wants to pick ambassadors based on merit and honesty.
But ADC says this is hard to believe because past appointments don’t show that. If the government is serious, it should act, not just talk. Reforms are not an excuse to stop working.
“It is therefore difficult to see how this administration intends to remedy this embarrassing situation in the short time it has left. This is what happens when a government treats diplomacy as a side hustle. We are absent where we must be present. We are silent where we should be persuasive. We seem to be leaderless at home and invisible abroad,” ADC added.
The party called on the President to stop hiding behind excuses and show that he understands what it takes to govern a country like Nigeria.
