The Federal Government has spent a whopping N14bn on 16 foreign missions in July 2024, despite the absence of ambassadors to oversee the missions.
This revelation comes amid prolonged delays in the appointment of ambassadors, sparking concerns over the country’s diplomatic representation and the effectiveness of its foreign missions.
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, the delay in appointing ambassadors is due to financial and economic challenges faced by the current administration. “The whole idea was to stop subsidising consumption and focus on subsidising production. However, the government has faced various other challenges. When the microeconomic reforms began showing benefits, platforms like Binance and the rise of crypto currencies began undermining those gains,” Tuggar stated.
Despite the challenges, the government disbursed N13.7bn for personnel costs to the 16 foreign missions, including The Hague, Tokyo, Vienna, Washington, Berlin, Brasilia, Brussels, Paris, Beijing, Geneva, Jeddah, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, and Ottawa.
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A former Nigerian ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Ode, noted that while paucity of funds had hindered the appointment of envoys, heads of missions at the consulate level had been deployed.
“In the Foreign Service accounting system, there are different subheads, one of which is for personnel. The free fall of the Nigerian currency often increases the naira value of the funds the government disburses to the overseas missions.”
