Presidency Makes U-Turn, Withdraws Dakingari’s Posting as Turkey Ambassador

In a sudden diplomatic realignment, the Presidency has withdrawn the posting of former Kebbi State Governor, Usman Saidu Dakingari, as Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Turkey, barely 24 hours after his appointment was publicly announced.

The reversal was confirmed on Friday morning in a statement by the Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, which conspicuously omitted Dakingari’s name from the list of approved envoys, contradicting an earlier announcement made on Thursday night.

The initial directive, issued on Thursday, had listed Dakingari alongside three other high-profile diplomats deployed to strategic foreign missions.

The move was widely viewed as a preparatory step ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s scheduled state visit to Turkey next week.

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However, the updated communication from the State House clarified that no ambassador has been appointed to Ankara at this time.

While the Presidency offered no explicit reason for the abrupt withdrawal, the revised statement reiterated the confirmation of the other three key appointments.

Kayode Are, the former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), remains the Ambassador-designate to the United States.

Similarly, Ayodele Oke, the former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), has been posted to France, while Amin Dalhatu, a former ambassador to South Korea, retains his appointment as High Commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom.

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Onanuga noted that President Tinubu has already forwarded a memo to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to formally notify the governments of the United States, France, and the United Kingdom regarding the postings, in adherence to standard diplomatic protocols.

The swift rescission of Dakingari’s posting leaves the Turkey mission without a substantive head just days before the President’s arrival, sparking speculation about the internal vetting or strategic considerations that may have prompted the last-minute change.

Dakingari was among the batch of over 60 nominees confirmed by the Senate last December.