Kperogi Dismisses Circulating Tinubu’s Ambassadorial List As ‘Fake Diplomatic Jollof’

A list circulating in sections of the Nigerian media, allegedly naming President Bola Tinubu’s ambassadorial nominees, has been debunked by Nigerian-American academic and columnist, Prof. Farooq Kperogi, who described it as nothing more than “fake diplomatic jollof.”

Over the past week, at least two national dailies have reported that President Tinubu had nominated several high-profile figures for ambassadorial appointments.

Among those named were former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri; ex-governors Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.

The reports also listed Fola Adeola, a former banker and co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank; Femi Pedro, a former deputy governor of Lagos State; and ex-Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, as part of the supposed nominees.

It was claimed that the nominees were undergoing security vetting by the Department of State Services (DSS), with an official list expected to be made public after clearance.

The backdrop to these reports includes the recall of Nigeria’s ambassadors in 2023, which left several diplomatic posts vacant. The Minister of Foreign Affairs had indicated on multiple occasions that a new round of ambassadorial appointments was imminent.

However, Prof. Kperogi poured cold water on the trending reports. Writing on Facebook on Monday morning, he described the list as fabricated, revealing that one of the alleged appointees had personally dismissed the rumour when contacted.

Kperogi stated: “A major newspaper reported that certain past critics of the Bola Tinubu administration have been nominated for ambassadorial gigs and are being screened by security agencies.”

He continued: “Everyone’s munching this spicy scoop on social media with glee, so I assumed it was true.”

Sharing his experience, he said: “Yesterday, I congratulated one of these freshly minted ‘ambassadors,’ and he said there was not a scintilla of truth to the news. Ha!”

In a sharp critique of the misleading reports, Kperogi quipped: “Who cooked up this deliciously fake diplomatic jollof? And why are the supposed nominees letting everyone savour the aroma without serving up a denial?”

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged the public to disregard a purported list of ambassadorial nominees currently circulating on social media, calling it false and misleading.

In a recent statement, Acting Spokesperson of the Ministry, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, emphasized that the appointment of ambassadors is solely within the prerogative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and that no official nominations have been made at this time.

“Kindly disregard the frenzy about the ambassadorial list,” the statement read. “Be rest assured that, when it is ready, Mr. President will transmit the list of nominees to the National Assembly for screening and confirmation.”