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Former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that newly appointed Nigerian ambassadors—particularly non-career envoys—are thoroughly educated on the country’s policies, economic priorities and investment frameworks before assuming their postings.

Fashola made the recommendation in his keynote address at the Nigeria Reputation Summit 2026, a programme organised in Abuja by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.

Fashola’s appeal comes one month after the Senate confirmed 62 ambassadorial nominees, including former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, and ex-presidential aide, Reno Omokri, following the adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.

While sharing personal experiences from his time in government, the immediate past Minister of Works stressed that Nigeria’s diplomatic effectiveness depends largely on how well its envoys understand and articulate the nation’s positions to foreign governments and investors.

“Concerning our formal ambassadors, I’m going to make recommendations based on my own experience. So, I visited an African country as a minister and was received by our ambassador in that country,” Fashola said.

“Over dinner, preparatory to my meeting, I shared with him the purpose of my visit, which was a ministry-related sector issue. Ultimately, it turned out that the ambassador had no clue what Nigeria’s position on those matters were.”

He warned that such gaps undermine Nigeria’s interests abroad, insisting that ambassadors must be fully equipped with up-to-date policy information before deployment.

“So, now that we have appointed ambassadors, preparatory to posting, they must have handy knowledge and information to really represent us on high-level, intense sharing of policies, fiscal position, tax laws, incentives for investments, our position on oil and gas, mineral mining, how long it takes to register a business in Nigeria (among others). They must know that. It’s important, and it must be a continuing engagement,” he argued.

Fashola added that it was not too late to correct the situation and urged immediate inter-ministerial coordination to begin the process.

“That is my first recommendation. It’s never too late. So, Honourable Minister (Idris Mohammed), I think I have the mandate of the conveners to ask you to reach out to your colleague in Foreign Affairs to start that process from today.”

The former governor also criticised the traditional approach of Nigerian ambassadors inviting ministers to visit their host countries, arguing that such trips often add little value to national development.

He said, “The other point, which comes from experience, was that over my time as minister here, very often I would get letters dispatched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to various departments, including mine.

“They were from our many ambassadors abroad, asking us to come and visit the countries where they were posted. And I must say today that, unfortunately, most, if not all, of those letters ended up in my shredder.”

Explaining his stance, Fashola said Nigeria should be positioning itself as the destination, not the visitor.

“The reason is this. If there was a problem of development at all, it was here, not there. What am I going to do there? Those who want to do business with me must come and see where I live.”

Fashola said Nigeria already has basic infrastructure to host international visitors and should focus on improving gaps while driving inbound engagement.

He argued that Nigeria’s climate, culture and lived experience cannot be conveyed through presentations abroad.

“They can’t feel me from a presentation or slides. But they can feel me by temperature. So, what am I alluding to? Our ambassadors must invite people to come and visit Nigeria, not the other way around.

“We have the facilities, hotels as well as the transport system. We can improve on what is not enough, but it is important to take the first big step and agree that there is a turnaround in movement. They are coming more, we are going less,” he noted,

He linked this approach to the global strategy known as MICE—Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions—which he described as a key economic driver for modern nations.

Fashola lamented that Nigeria has not fully leveraged its cultural and entertainment exports to attract visitors.

According to him, firsthand experiences are the most powerful counter to negative narratives about Nigeria.

“How many of the musical concerts we are generating globally are being performed here? That is what brings people here. That is what explodes the myths and the fabrications.

“People will leave us with their real experience so that when they tell them, don’t come to Nigeria, they will say, ‘I’m going back. I enjoyed myself the last time I went. So, it is left to me to choose ,” the ex-minster explained.

Meanwhile, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr Ike Neliaku, has denied defending the Federal Government’s controversial $9m US lobbying deal, saying his comments were misrepresented by the media.

Neliaku maintained that his position was only to clarify that lobbying is a recognised public relations function and not a criminal offence, while raising concerns about the process, value and competence of the vendors involved in the contract.

He said, “What I said for purpose of clarity, because my colleagues are very disturbed, was that lobbying is a public relations function and does not amount to any criminal offence.

“However, on the specific matter of defending the FG’s $9m US deal, I know nothing. Indeed, we have a number of issues about the contract centred around the appropriateness and competence of the vendors, the process and the method of hiring them.

“What I endorsed was that there is nothing wrong with lobbying. I am repeating it again that it is our function to lobby. The only thing is that the context, process and value of it is a different thing entirely.”

He added that Nigeria has a “golden opportunity” to strengthen its global image by hosting the Global Alliance World Public Relations Forum in November 2026, a hosting right he said the country won after “a tough rigorous process and four rounds of bidding.”