The United States government under President Donald Trump has recalled its Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard M. Mills Jr., as part of a sweeping reorganisation of Washington’s diplomatic missions across the world.
Mills is among 29 career diplomats, including ambassadors and senior embassy officials, whose postings are being terminated under the latest shake-up of the US foreign service, according to multiple reports.
The ambassador, who assumed office on July 25, 2024, is one of several heads of mission affected by what officials describe as a strategic realignment of US diplomatic engagements in line with President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy agenda.
Reports by Blueprint.ng indicated that no fewer than 13 African countries were impacted by the decision, signalling a major recalibration of Washington’s diplomatic footprint on the continent.
The Associated Press also reported that mission chiefs in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their assignments would end in January, quoting two senior US State Department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
According to the report, most of the affected diplomats were appointed during the administration of former President Joe Biden but were retained after earlier rounds of changes carried out in the early months of Trump’s second term, which largely targeted political appointees.
The latest move marks one of the most extensive diplomatic overhauls under the Trump administration and comes amid ongoing efforts to reshape US foreign policy priorities and diplomatic engagements worldwide.
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