India Rejects Nigerian Ambassador, Exposes Tinubu’s Diplomatic Missteps, Casting Uncertainty Over 63 Other Envoys
India and other yet-to-be disclosed countries have declined to accept some of Bola Tinubu’s recently posted ambassadors-designate due to diplomatic policies that discourage receiving envoys from administrations with less than two years remaining in office.
High-ranking officials in the Presidency and the Foreign Service disclosed that India, where career diplomat Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru has been designated to serve, maintains a standing policy against accepting ambassadors from governments with tenures of less than two years remaining.
Reports indicate that India is exercising its discretionary powers to turn down the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ request to accept Dahiru’s posting.
Under the rules of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, no ambassador can assume duty in a foreign country without the receiving state formally approving the appointment.
The diplomatic friction comes at a time when relations between Nigeria and India appear stronger than they have been in years. Tinubu attended the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi as a guest of the Indian government, where he held talks with Modi on defence cooperation, trade, and investment.
In November 2024, Modi made his first visit to Nigeria, the first by an Indian prime minister since 2007. During the visit, both countries signed several agreements aimed at strengthening the India-Nigeria Strategic Partnership established in 2007. Tinubu also conferred Nigeria’s second-highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, on Modi, an award previously given to only one foreign leader, Queen Elizabeth II.
Yet even strong diplomatic ties may not override established protocol.
The Tinubu administration announced the deployment of 65 ambassadors last week. For now, only two of Nigeria’s 65 nominees have received approval from host governments: High Commissioner-designate Aminu Dalhatu for the United Kingdom and Ambassador Ayodele Oke for France. The fate of the remaining 63 envoys remains uncertain.
READ ALSO: Tinubu Nominates Omokri, Fani-Kayode, Ugwuanyi, Mahmood Yakubu, 28 Others As Ambassadors
Among the high-profile nominees awaiting diplomatic clearance are former aviation minister Femi Fani‑Kayode, posted to Germany; commentator Reno Omokri, assigned to Mexico; former Katsina governor Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, nominated for China; and Jimoh Ibrahim, a serving senator, tapped as Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
