By Ngozi Nwoke
Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa is a Nigerian diplomat, researcher, and public communicator currently serving as the Spokesperson, Crisis Monitoring and Public Communication Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja.
Known for his advocacy on national unity, he has extensive research experience on Niger Delta Security and Development and previously served as Head of Chancery at the Nigerian Embassy in Doha, Qatar.
In this interview, he described the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa as “very disturbing and unacceptable,” especially given Nigeria’s sacrifices during apartheid.
He reminded that Nigeria was a “frontline state” against apartheid despite not sharing a border, due to its commitment and resources, adding that the ministry has summoned the Acting High Commissioner for a crucial meeting to address the crisis.
The recurrent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa keep straining relations. What specific diplomatic levers, beyond public condemnation, has Nigeria used or is willing to use to compel stronger protection for its citizens?
The development in South Africa whereby indigenes are protesting and calling on immigrants to leave their country is very disturbing and unacceptable considering the sacrifices countries such as Nigeria made during their struggle. You will recall that during the fight against apartheid, most African countries provided massive support to help them fight discrimination and oppression.
Nigeria for instance was not a neighbouring country that shared a border with South Africa but we were among the frontline states due to our commitment and the resources we made available for them. However, for the current crisis, the Acting High Commissioner in Pretoria and the Consul General are actively engaging with the host authorities, to ensure the safety of Nigerian nationals residing in the country. The attitude of groups such as Operation Dudula is therefore highly condemnable.
We are not happy with what is happening. We are concerned about the safety of our nationals that are living legally in South Africa. We know many Nigerians are worried. I saw online the protest by some Nigerians at the South Africa High Commission last week Friday. We don’t want Nigerians to take the law into their hands. The ministry also summoned the Acting High Commissioner for a meeting to meeting on Monday 4th May 2026.
The objective of this engagement is to formally convey the Nigerian Government’s profound concern regarding recent events that have the potential to impact the established cordial relations between Nigeria and South Africa. I can categorically inform you that, discussions will primarily focus on the ongoing demonstrations by various groups within South Africa and the documented instances of mistreatment of Nigerian citizens and attacks on their businesses. Remember that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilitated the evacuation of some of our nationals from Johannesburg in 2019 and we might consider such measures if the situation is not brought under control.
The United States recently issued a travel advisory to its citizens in Nigeria due to security and crime. How do you respond to that?
We cannot deny the fact that we are witnessing security challenges in some parts of the country but in all honestly it does not warrant a travel advisory to warn foreigners not to visit the country or those residing in Nigeria to leave. The military and relevant security agencies are working hard to fight the scourge of terrorism and banditry. We are not where we are supposed to be, but let continue to trust them even as we encourage them to do better to safeguard lives and properties in the country.
What is the latest development in respect of FG posting of ambassadors-designate?
The Ministry has received over 32 agreements so far from the countries the Ambassadors and High Commissioners-Designate are assigned to. An Induction ceremony was held for the Ambassadors and High Commissioners-Designate from Monday 27th to Wednesday 29th April 2026. With the successful completion of the induction programme, those that have received their Letters of Credence will proceed to their respective missions to commence their Ambassadorial tour of duty.
How has the administration of President Bola Tinubu affected Nigeria’s foreign relations in the last three years, especially with its neighbours?
Nigeria’s foreign relations under the current administration have recorded tremendous success. Guided by the 4Ds – Demography, Development, Democracy and Diaspora Foreign Policy thrust anchored by the Ministry, we are committed to attracting foreign direct investment, providing job opportunities for our teaming youthful population, expand the frontiers of democracy in the sub-region and collaborating with relevant stakeholders to promote global peace and development. Nigeria has very cordial bilateral relations with all our neighbours. Remember we played a key role in aborting the coup in Benin Republic last year. We also have very good relations with Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic.
When Nigeria faces diplomatic embarrassment or crisis abroad, you are often the voice explaining it. What is your rule for balancing transparency with national interest when you speak to the press?
I have the personal conviction to always explain Nigeria guided by the principles for patriotism, truth and loyalty. Reputation management is key if you want your audience to take you seriously and listen to you. So I try my best in all situation to insist on communicating verifiable facts to the public especially taking into cognizance our national interest when addressing sensitive issues. Sometimes it is very difficult to establish contacts with relevant MDAs or Missions abroad to respond promptly to issues, but I try my possible best despite the challenges.
You have extensive research experience on Niger Delta security and development. Based on your findings, what’s one solution to oil theft and militancy that policymakers keep ignoring, and why?
I studied Political Science at Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island and the University of Ibadan and specialized in Comparative Politics. I intended to be a university lecturer and had over 15 scholarly publications before I joined the Nigerian Foreign Service. Comparing how oil and gas have transformed countries in the Gulf to the Niger Delta, it is crystal clear that there is serious work to be done on the part of the government.
For there to be lasting peace, the benefits of oil exploration and exploitation must be visible to all stakeholders especially the local communities. The environment must be protected; there should be meaningful development and the youth should be provided with job opportunities.
If the people who bear the burden of oil production are not satisfied with what they get in return, peace will be elusive. Tokenistic and window dressing measures will not be sustainable for a long period hence the recurring challenges that have continued to bedevil the region.
You served as Head of Chancery in Doha, Qatar, a major global energy hub. How did that posting change the way you view Nigeria’s handling of Niger Delta resources and diplomacy?
Apart from serving in Doha, Qatar, I was privileged to also serve in our Embassy in Luanda, Angola which is another oil-producing country. So my experience from these energy hubs has shaped my personal perspective on oil and development. Juxtaposing the oil for infrastructure development projects in those countries with Nigeria, you will agree with me that we have to do more as a people and as government.
Resource utilisation to promote sustainable development should be encouraged at all levels of government. The present administration is working hard to create the enabling environment and explain opportunities in the oil and gas, and that should be supported to achieve the desired results.
Young Nigerians want to serve as diplomats but see diplomacy as ‘connection-only’. What skill, outside of language and IR degrees, made the biggest difference for you from researcher to diplomat?
I was recruited based on merit into the Nigerian Foreign Service in 2013, so it is not true that you can only be employed based on connection. In terms of qualification, yes, you must have a degree in Social Sciences, Law or Languages but you must also demonstrate your knowledge of global affairs and developments. This means, you have to understand geopolitics and how nations behave in the international arena, what issues shape global alliances and what is the focus of our foreign policy.
As a diplomat you are required to have an idea of everything, possess good communication skills and the ability to negotiate complex situations to your advantage. Comportment, ability to work under pressure and the quest for innovative ideas to solve problems is a necessity too.
Nigerian embassies abroad are supposed to help bring business and investment to Nigeria. How can one measure if the embassy is actually doing that job well?
Embassies abroad serve several critical functions to maintain international relations and protect national interests and one of such functions is promoting economic relations between Nigeria and the country of accreditation. This plays out in the area of promoting economic and trade ties – facilitating business partnerships, trade agreements, and investment opportunities.
Embassies study the economic developments in the host country, analyse them and send reports to Headquarters, which forms the basis of advice to our home government in the area of policy formulation. Embassies also facilitate the negotiation of trade agreements, organise business forums and trade exhibitions to match Nigerian and foreign businesses together which promotes foreign direct investments.
Therefore, the number of successful business deals that the Embassy is able to attract and facilitate which impacts our economy positively determines the success rate. For instance, Embassies identity business opportunities in their host countries which ranges from the supply of raw materials or value-added products to service delivery, and facilitate Nigerian companies to take advantage of such opportunities.
Embassies partner with relevant Chambers of Commerce, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria Investment Promotion Council etc to organise Business Forums and other related activities to promote Nigeria.
Foreign service postings change every few years. How do you ensure continuity of critical bilateral projects so they don’t stall or get abandoned when personnel rotate?
Just as it is practiced in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, staff members don’t remain in one position or location forever. According to the Foreign Service Regulations, when an officer is recruited, he will first be trained at the Nigerian Foreign Service Academy. I am a member of the 21st Regular Course of the Foreign Service Academy. Upon graduation, the officer is posted to one of our missions abroad for a period of one year to have practical knowledge of what working in the diplomatic service implies.
That first posting is referred to as Attachment. And after that, subsequent postings are for the period of three years until you retire from service either by age or length of service. This implies that the duty tour period of a Nigerian diplomat is three years. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have a very systematic and effective posting system. To avoid vacuum, the posting process is organised in such a way that officers are posted to vice each other.
The idea is that, the officer handling a particular desk or schedule in the Embassy, High Commission or Consulate, in line with extant rules and regulations must wait for the arrival of the new officer that would be replacing him from Headquarters and hand over to the new officer before leaving the mission. This process sincerely helps to address the issue of abandoned projects or discontinued initiatives simply because the objective of the Embassy is to achieve desired results for the betterment of our country.
Many young Nigerians feel disconnected from foreign policy. If you had to design one programme to make diplomacy relevant to Gen Z, what would it look like?
Experience have shown and there is no denying the fact that there is serious disconnect between government policies and programmes and the level of awareness of such activities and initiatives by the masses. One category of our population that is seriously affected by this trend is the youthful population.
Government at all levels has a lot of work to do to correct that. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we try our possible best to engage the youth through partnership and sensitisation programmes to inform them about our programmes and activities. Almost every month, we play host to students from Universities and Colleges on excursions and study tours to the Ministry that visit to better comprehend how the foreign service works.
I was a guess panellist in a seminar organised by the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka last month and the topic for discussion was titled “From Regional War to Global Shockwaves: Strategic Consequences of the U.S.–Israel War with Iran.”. Such programmes create the opportunity to better inform the youths about Foreign Policy and what the Ministry is doing to project and protect the foreign policy objectives and national interest of our country.
I also had a fruitful engagement with the leadership of Northern Youths Organisation of Nigeria recently to mention but a few.
It will also interest you to note that in terms of communicating our programmes and activities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs have active presence online with our social media handles on Instagram, X and Facebook.
We are also considering the option of creating a TikTok account to engage more actively with the youths. Plans are also in the pipeline to create a “Know Your Foreign Ministry” programme on popular Television, Radio and online platforms to interact regularly with the youths.
When Nigerians abroad face sudden crises such as war, deportations, and legal trouble? What’s one internal challenge in the ministry’s response system you would fix to ensure quick intervention?
Funding is very critical. If there is no budgetary provision, quick response measures are more often than not easily frustrated. We need more funding and the Ministry must have a 24-hour round the clock emergency call centre to provide timely response to enquiries from Nigerians from different parts of the world.
If for instance, you don’t have a robust budget for emergencies at your disposal, capital intensive actions such as evacuation during crisis situations becomes difficult which will translate to the affected Nigerians not having faith in the government to attend to their welfare and safety. That is one of the challenges that we face. I am confident however that the present administration will continue with relevant reforms and policy initiatives to address such issues.
The Ministry recently raised alarm over the disturbing use of the title Ambassador by unauthorised persons. How far are you going on with the campaign against illegal use of Ambassadorial and other diplomatic titles?
Yes, we had a press briefing on the 17th of March 2026 to sensitise members of the public and warn against the increasing activities of unscrupulous individuals and unauthorised groups who illegally usurp diplomatic titles and fraudulently confer same, specifically the title of “Ambassador,” upon themselves or on unsuspecting members of the public.
There is widespread abuse of the use Ambassador, Diplomatic Envoy”, Special Envoy and other diplomatic nomenclature by persons who have not been duly appointed or accredited by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Some self-proclaimed organisations, foundations, institutes, or individuals confer the titles to themselves and unsuspecting members of the public.
They also go to the extent of issuing fake diplomatic passports, identity cards, vehicle and number plates, which is purely the case of impersonation and that is a criminal offence. During the press briefing and in subsequent media engagements, we are warning individuals parading themselves as “Ambassadors” based on deceitful and illegal conferment to desist forthwith.
It is important to empathise that for the avoidance of doubt, that 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. Besides Mr. President, no individual, group, or non – governmental entity is permitted to confer diplomatic or ambassadorial titles.
More so, ambassadorial titles are not conferred with the payment of money or subscription to membership in non-governmental organisations. As a ministry, we are not against the nomination and appointment of qualified Nigerians in all spheres of life as Brand Ambassadors which is a form of recognition or aimed at advertising a product or service.
However, we are insisting and enlightening the general public that brand ambassadors have no legal right to add the title of Ambassador to their names because that is not recognised by our laws. If they proceed to do so, it becomes impersonation for claiming to be what you are not and that constitutes a criminal behaviour.
To curb the above ugly trend, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with relevant security agencies, the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps, VIO and other stakeholders to ensure that any individual or group found engaging in the usurpation or fraudulent conferment of Ambassadorial titles, and issuance of fake and unauthorised diplomatic vehicle plate numbers are prosecuted in line with the law.
What is your take on the recent elevation of Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the nomination of Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, subject to confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
I must confess that the strategic decision by Mr. President undoubtedly reflects the administration’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s foreign policy apparatus with seasoned diplomats of proven competence, integrity, and extensive international experience.
As Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu performs excellently where she contributed significantly to advancing Nigeria’s bilateral and multilateral relations, promoting economic diplomacy, and enhancing the welfare of Nigerians in the diaspora, therefore we are very happy with her appointment as the substantive Minister of Foreign Affairs.
If am not mistaken, she is the third female minister to lead the Ministry after Ngozi Okonjo-Iwella and late Professor Joy Ugwu. I am confident that she will bring a wealth of diplomatic, legal, and public service experience to her new role as head of the Foreign Ministry. She is a distinguished lawyer, accomplished diplomat, and former Ambassador to Ghana and Spain. She also served with excellence as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Her elevation to substantive Minister underscores President Tinubu’s confidence in her ability to provide focused leadership for the Ministry at this critical time, as Nigeria continues to assert its influence on the global stage, deepen strategic partnerships, and champion the interests of the African continent.
It is also important to state that the nomination of Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, a retired career diplomat with decades of distinguished service in the Nigerian Foreign Service, including as former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations brings deep institutional knowledge, administrative expertise, and a strong track record in international relations and policy coordination.
His appointment as Minister of State will surely complement the leadership of the Honourable Minister and further strengthen the ministry’s capacity to deliver on Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives. With the two of them at the helm of affairs of the ministry and supported by the Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, PhD, they will surely work together to achieve the foreign policy objectives of Mr. President.
