Reasons for the delay in posting of ambassadors-designate may not be unconnected to the global pandemic, NewsSpecng has learnt.
The entire world had been held hostage since last March 2020 with the Covid-19 declared as a pandemic.
The virus which started late 2019 in Wuhan, China suddenly took global stage leading to lockdowns of almost all the countries in the better part of 2020. This, it was learnt led to the knock back of all issues regarding posting of the new ambassadors.
Besides, another reason deduced for the delay is the ongoing lobby for juicy posting among the ambassadors with highly connected god fathers.
83 ambassadors were screened and cleared by the Senate about five months ago and since then, the list has remained in the cooler.
Also, the ambassadors-designate are still awaiting the traditional induction programme usually coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The list include both career ambassadors and political ambassadors.
Sources in the presidency told our reporter that the President has not forgotten about the ambassadors but the delay was partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
One of the sources said the delay has been hijacked by some persons in the presidency who are using the opporrunity to make money.
The source said some elements in the presidency have been reaching out to desperate ambassadors-designate assuring them that they can influence their posting to more juicy countries.
The source said to ensure they get their subject, some elements within the presidency calls to inform them that they have been posted to Serberia and they need to act very fast before the final posting is made public.
It was gathered that some of the unsuspecting diplomats have fallen prey, coughing out some good amount to influence their supposed posting.
Another source also told NewsSepcng that the ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to be in the dark out been left out of the scheme of things.
The source who is in the diplomatic circle said that the report linking the delay to the non availability of “agreemo” was far from the truth.
The source said it was some forces within the corridor of power that was responsible for the delay.
The uncoordinated approach in handling the issue, the source said has been part of the new order in government; stressing that it is this loopholes that some of the elements in the corridor of power are using to exploit the ambassadors-designate.
The source said many of the envoys are at crossroad they dont even know what was going on neither is anybody telling them anything.
Some of the career ambassadors are more worried as time is going, especially those left with few years remaining in service. Most of them are getting agitated as days are passing bye without known their fate.
The Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ferdinand Nwonye had told a national daily that the posting of Ambassador-designates is at the discretion of the President of the country. Nwonye explained that ambassadors are the representatives of the President to the country they are posted to and so he (President) alone has the discretion and the final say.
“The Ambassadors are the representatives of the president to the countries they are posted to. So their posting is at the discretion of the president who decides when and where to post them.”
Concerning the recent screened ambassador- designates, the ministry Spokesperson said the process is on going but the presidency has the final say and not the ministry.
He explained further that the ministry only takes instruction on such issues but the buck rest with the presidency.
