The Nigerian government has reversed the nomination of former governor of Kebbi State, Usman Dakingari, as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Turkey.
The withdrawal comes less than 24 hours after the announcement of new diplomatic postings.
In a statement issued on Thursday night, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said President Bola Tinubu had approved the appointment of four ambassadors-designate from the list of over 60 nominees confirmed by the Senate in December.
According to the announcement, Kayode Are, former director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), was named ambassador-designate to the United States; Ayodele Oke, former head of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), was posted to France; Amin Dalhatu, former envoy to South Korea, was appointed high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom; while Dakingari was initially assigned to Turkey.
However, in a follow-up statement released on Friday by the State House, Onanuga clarified that no ambassador had been appointed to Turkey.
The updated statement reaffirmed the postings of Are, Oke and Dalhatu but excluded Dakingari’s name, effectively nullifying his nomination.
The Presidency did not disclose the reason for the sudden change.
Onanuga also said President Tinubu had forwarded a memo to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to formally notify the governments of the three countries about the ambassadors-designate, in line with diplomatic protocol.
