Nigeria’s presidency has reversed the appointment of Usman Dakingari Suleiman as the country’s ambassador to Turkey, just hours after his name was announced.
The reversal was confirmed on Friday by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, who said the decision followed a “naming mix-up” and that the posting was now under review.
Mr Dakingari, a former governor of Kebbi State, had been named on Thursday night as ambassador-designate to Turkey, alongside three other diplomatic appointments.
In his initial announcement, Mr Onanuga said President Bola Tinubu had approved the appointments and also disclosed that the president, who recently returned from a three-week overseas trip, was expected to visit Turkey next week.
However, in a subsequent statement, the presidential spokesman said the announcement concerning Turkey had been made in error.
“Please note that there was a naming mix-up for the ambassador-designate to Turkey. The posting is undergoing review,” Mr Onanuga said.
He added that there were no changes to the appointments of the other diplomats previously announced.
Those unaffected are Ayodele Oke, named ambassador-designate to France; Lateef Are, ambassador-designate to the United States; and Amin Dalhatu, high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom.
Mr Onanuga said President Tinubu had directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to formally notify the governments of the three countries in line with standard diplomatic procedures.
No further details were given on when a new ambassador to Turkey would be named.
