Nigerian Government has deployed 44 career ambassadors-designate to their respective countries of accreditation.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olusola Enikaolaye disclosed this in Abuja.

Ambassador Enikanolaye, however, said the ambassadors were yet to resume in their different countries of assignment because of delay in agreemo.

An agreemo is consent to the proposed ambassador deployed to a particular country, or consent from one nation to another agreeing to the appointment of an ambassador or envoy.

‘Three categories’
The Permanent Secretary explained that the career ambassadors-designate would resume when agreements (consent) have been obtained from prospective countries.

“There are three categories of ambassadors that President Muhammadu Buhari has already approved; the first set was announced publicly and those are the ones going to International organisation, like New York, Geneva and the AU in Addis Ababa,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary disclosed that, “Professor Mohammed Tijani, the New Permanent Representative in New York had already assumed duty and Ayinla Audu Kadiri, an ambassador and Permanent Representative in Geneva had submitted his letter of credence and assumed duty.

“The third one is Bankole Adeoye, an ambassador to the African Union at Addis Ababa; he is waiting for his agreement to proceed to Addis Ababa,” he explained.

According to Ambassador Enikanolaye the second category is the group of career ambassadors who have all been deployed to their respective countries of accreditation.

“They cannot proceed until we received agreement for all of them; they are about 44 in this category. The agreements are coming in bits and they do not come at the same time.”

“The third categories of ambassadors are the non-career ambassadors which are yet to be deployed,” he said.

He also explained that this is because government was yet to assign them to countries but “they would be assigned before the next stage of asking for agreement.”

Ambassador Enikanolaye said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would do whatever is necessary to fast-track the process so that they can fully settle in their missions without further delay.

source: Voice of Nigeria