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Some countries, including India, have reportedly declined to accept a number of envoys recently nominated by Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, citing diplomatic policies related to the government’s remaining tenure.
Sources within the Presidency and Nigeria’s foreign service say India has a long-standing diplomatic practice of not accepting ambassadors from governments with less than two years left in office.
One of the nominees affected by the situation is career diplomat Muhammad Dahiru, who was put forward to serve as Nigeria’s ambassador to New Delhi.
Officials familiar with the development said India is exercising its diplomatic discretion by delaying or potentially rejecting the request sent by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking Dahiru’s formal acceptance.
“They don’t accept an ambassador from an administration that has less than two years in office. So they are giving us that body language already,” a Presidency source said.
The development comes with growing concerns within diplomatic circles that some of the administration’s nominees may encounter similar resistance from host countries because of the limited time remaining in the current government’s tenure.
Under established diplomatic procedures, a receiving country must first grant formal approval—known as agrément—before an ambassador can take up the post. Without that consent, the nominee cannot officially assume diplomatic duties.
While India’s stance appears to be the clearest so far, officials say other countries could adopt similar positions, potentially slowing Nigeria’s efforts to fully restore ambassadorial representation across its missions abroad.
