The Nigerian government banned the use of the title “Ambassador” by unauthorized individuals.
The federal government, by so doing, said the ambassador title is strictly for individuals formally appointed and accredited by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this at a press briefing on Friday in Abuja.
Ebienfa raised concerns over what he described as growing confusion caused by individuals presenting themselves as ambassadors without official authorization.
He explained that the ministry had continued to receive inquiries from foreign diplomatic missions seeking to verify the status of Nigerians claiming ambassadorial credentials, a situation he said was straining official communication channels.
“The Ministry has been receiving inquiries from diplomatic missions asking us to verify the status of Nigerians parading themselves as ambassadors,” he said.
According to him, the trend is being driven by organizations that unlawfully confer such titles.
He noted that while some groups and private establishments legitimately appoint individuals as brand ambassadors for promotional purposes, many recipients wrongly elevate the designation into a formal diplomatic identity.
“All these categories of persons, more often than not, add the prefix ‘Ambassador’ to their names, and that is causing serious confusion,” he said.
Ebienfa further revealed that some Nigerians had fallen victim to schemes operated by groups offering so-called ambassadorial appointments in exchange for payments running into millions of naira.
He described such arrangements as fraudulent, noting that the packages allegedly include appointment letters, diplomatic passports, vehicle number plates, and identity cards falsely linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The package includes an appointment letter, diplomatic passport, vehicle number plates, and identity card. This is completely false and misleading,” he said.
The ministry stressed that such practices amount to impersonation and fraud, warning that offenders would face prosecution under relevant laws.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is only the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who has the prerogative to appoint and accredit ambassadors,” Ebienfa stated.
