By Ere-ebi Agedah Imisi
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned foreign diplomatic missions in Nigeria against bypassing established diplomatic channels to directly lobby the Presidency, ministers and heads of government agencies.
The notice was contained in an article by Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, who said official communications from foreign missions should be routed through the Ministry in line with established diplomatic practice and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Enikanolaiye said it had become increasingly common for some embassy officials to contact senior government officials directly by telephone instead of transmitting a Note Verbale through the Ministry.
He described the practice as “backdoor diplomacy”, warning that it could create policy confusion, undermine institutional coordination and expose sensitive requests to inadequate security and policy scrutiny.
According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the official bridge between diplomatic missions and Nigeria’s government institutions, including the Presidency, ministries, departments and agencies.
“The Ministry is not an obstacle between you and the Nigerian Government, we are your bridge to the Nigerian Government,” he quoted Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, as telling members of the diplomatic corps.
Enikanolaiye said the minister made the position clear during her first formal briefing with the Diplomatic Corps as substantive Foreign Affairs Minister.
He noted that Nigeria had already simplified diplomatic procedures by allowing newly appointed ambassadors and high commissioners to commence official functions after submitting copies of their Letters of Credence to the Ministry, without waiting for their formal presentation to the President.
He said the concession was made to facilitate the work of foreign missions and should be reciprocated through strict compliance with diplomatic protocol.
Citing Article 41 of the Vienna Convention, Enikanolaiye said official business entrusted to diplomatic missions by their governments “shall be conducted with or through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs” of the receiving country.
He also condemned the alleged misuse of diplomatic number plates by unauthorised individuals, describing the practice as a breach of diplomatic obligations and a potential security risk.
“Respect is reciprocal. If you want Nigeria’s diplomats to respect protocol in your capitals, you should respect protocol in ours,” he said.
Enikanolaiye urged diplomatic missions to follow the established channel: “Embassy → Note Verbale → MFA → MDA/Presidency → MFA → Embassy.”
“Nigeria is warm, generous, and open for partnership. But our hospitality must not be mistaken for weakness,” he added.
