Geoffrey Onyeama: Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday refuted the purported deployment of 47 career ambassadors-designate to various countries.

Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, Permanent Secretary of the ministry, in a statement in Abuja, disowned a purported deployment list of the ambassadors in circulation.

He described the list as totally unauthorised as it did not emanate from government, adding that the publication did not attribute the story to any source in government.

According to him, the deployment of ambassadors-designate will be released only when agreements (consent) have been sought and obtained from prospective countries.

“Members of the diplomatic community and the general public are therefore advised to disregard any news on the purported deployment of the 47 career ambassadors-designate,’’ he said.

According to him, the career ambassadors-designate are currently undergoing their induction programme.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the four-day induction programme, organised for the career ambassadors by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ended on Thursday.

The programme, which commenced on Dec. 19, was to acquaint them with the foreign policy agenda and priorities of the current administration.

The induction was also to equip them with the domestic programmes of national development. (NAN)