Mexico clears Reno Omokri as ambassador after eight-month delay

The Mexican government has approved Reno Omokri’s appointment as Nigeria’s ambassador to Mexico, ending an eight-month wait for the diplomatic clearance required for his posting.

Omokri announced the development in a post on X on Tuesday, saying Mexico had granted the formal approval, known as agrément, for his appointment.

He said José Manuel Briseño Flores, chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Mexico in Abuja, delivered the approval to Babagana Wakil, director of protocol at Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In his reaction, Omokri expressed gratitude over the clearance, which also covers his concurrent accreditation to Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

“To God be the glory, the Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of the United Mexican States in Abuja, Mr José Manuel Briseño Flores, today in Abuja delivered the agrément from the Government of the United Mexican States accepting me,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu had in March approved the posting of 65 ambassador-designates and high commissioners to their respective countries, with Omokri assigned to Mexico.

However, his deployment remained pending because the Mexican government had yet to grant the diplomatic consent required to complete the appointment process.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the delay in August, identifying Mexico and Japan as countries that had yet to formally approve two outstanding ambassadorial appointments.

The ministry said it was engaging the relevant authorities in the affected countries to secure the necessary clearances and expressed confidence that the approvals would be communicated in due course.

Mexico’s approval now clears a major hurdle in Omokri’s appointment as Nigeria’s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the country.

Agrément is the formal consent granted by a receiving country before a diplomat nominated by another country can be appointed as its ambassador. It is a standard requirement in diplomatic practice and precedes the completion of the ambassador’s accreditation process.