At least 450 foreign service officers in 109 Nigerian missions abroad have yet to receive their salaries for the past five to six months.

The officials, serving under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are in financial distress and cannot pay rent and children’s school fees or meet other family and social obligations.

The acting spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, acknowledged the financial challenges facing the Nigerian missions and assured that the leadership was working to resolve the issue.

He stated, “The ministry is aware of the difficulties faced by the missions abroad, and the leadership is working seriously to address the situation.

“With the recent passage of the 2025 Appropriation Act by the National Assembly, there is strong optimism that the Bill will be signed into law soonest by Mr President and that will positively impact the finances of the ministry and missions abroad.”

Findings indicate that the ministry spent N251.71bn on salaries in four years.

This comes on the heels of the increased budgetary allocation to the ministry and the missions.

In 2021, a total of N73.14bn was budgeted by the ministry with N34.38bn earmarked for personnel expenditure. For 2022, the ministry budgeted N88.09bn out of which N55.27bn was expended on salaries.

In 2023, N98.11bn was approved while N62.30bn was allocated for personnel costs and in 2024, N160.06bn was appropriated while N99.76bn was allocated for salaries.

In the 2025 budget, the foreign affairs ministry proposed N353.77bn, with N214.64bn earmarked for personnel costs, N72.24bn for overheads and N66.82bn for capital expenditure.

The Federal Government equally proposed N53bn to renovate 103 foreign missions this year.

The funds will cover various needs, including renovations of chanceries, staff quarters, ambassadors’ residences, purchase of office furniture, and official vehicles, among others.

Allocations include N554m for the foreign mission in Abidjan; N812m for Banjul; N555m for Brazzaville; N558m for Port of Spain; N576m for Caracas; N624m for Kingston; N567m for Libreville; N409m for Buenos Aires, N899m for Niamey, among others.

Despite the increased appropriation, funding for the missions was insufficient, with many of them struggling to finance their operations and renovations.

The PUNCH reported that the situation had been worsened by delays in the appointment of new ambassadors.

Senior Presidency and Foreign Service officials earlier informed our correspondent that about $1bn was required to clear the backlogs of bills and adequately finance the nation’s 109 missions, 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates globally.

On taking office, President Bola Tinubu reassessed Nigeria’s foreign policy and initiated a recall of 83 ambassadors in September 2023.

The process of appointing new envoys has, however, faced delays due to financial shortfalls.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, admitted insufficient funding for essential embassy operations and ambassadorial support.

“There is no point sending out ambassadors if you do not have the funds for them to even travel to their designated country and to run the missions effectively, one needs funding.

“Mr. President is working on it, and it will be done in due course,” he said during a ministerial briefing in May 2023.

Sources within the ministry, however, attributed the embarrassing financial situation to poor funding and delays in the 2025 budget passage.

Officials at various embassies disclosed that they had not been paid for several months, with some going without their salaries since August or September 2024.

An official who spoke on the condition of anonymity lamented that the delay in budget approval had left the missions struggling to cover basic operational costs.

This includes rent, embassy staff salaries and payments to service providers.

As a result, the missions have accumulated significant debts, with several service providers taking legal action to recover unpaid dues, the source added.

“This is mid-February, and the budget has not been approved or signed. How are the missions faring under this reality of financial neglect?

“The debts are piling up, and some service providers have dragged some missions to court for redress. Some staff in most foreign missions have not been paid for six months,” the source stated.

Another source revealed that embassy staff were unable to effectively serve the needs of Nigerians abroad due to the financial difficulties faced by their missions.

He stated that the delay in the budget passage had caused considerable hardship for the missions, as it also affected their ability to provide consular services to Nigerians in distress abroad.

“The missions are struggling to stay afloat, and the lack of funds has a direct impact on their ability to serve Nigerians abroad,” the source stated, stressing that the situation required urgent intervention.

A Foreign Service Officer who concluded his duty tour last year stated, “Due to paucity of funds, officers are faced with the unfortunate situation of using their personal funds to buy consumables such as toners, ink for printers and papers for the missions.”

Ex-diplomat Rasheed Akinkuolie traced the problem to the 1983 overthrow of the second civilian administration and the long military rule.

Akinkuolie said, “The underfunding of Nigerian diplomatic missions started from around 1983, with the overthrow of the second civilian administration and long military rule. And it was at that point that the funding of Nigerian missions became measly.

“The military did not appreciate the critical role Nigerian missions play in economic, social, security, and image of Nigeria abroad.

“Since the military was in power for a long time, the underfunding persisted and continued under the civilian administration till date,” he said.

Akinkuolie pointed out that the budget for the foreign affairs ministry in 2025, when spread across 109 missions, could not sustain them.

“The budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2025 is N353bn or $233m. If this is spread across 109 missions, this amounts to very little.

“Nigeria High Commission in London is allocated N7bn or £3.6m, where drivers have to be paid a minimum wage of about £1,500 a month,” he further stressed.

The retired diplomat also highlighted the negative impact of fluctuating exchange rates, stating, “The allocation in naira is still subjected to the vagaries of the exchange rate.

“This is a real problem, which must be addressed to enable the ministry to retain its best officers and attract the best candidates.”

He added that the current system had forced many officers to resign and join the United Nations and other organizations.

“Several officers simply leave and join the UN and other international organisations, while at post. This is dangerous and inimical to Nigeria’s interests,” he asserted.

To solve the long-standing issue, Akinkuolie proposed reverting to the old practice of budgeting in both US dollars and naira.

“The old practice of budgeting in USD and naira will solve this perennial problem. The allocation to missions should be remitted directly to missions in USD by the Central Bank, while the component for running the ministry in Nigeria should be in naira,” he advised.

A retired ambassador who spoke anonymously noted that the issue had been “persisting for quite some time, and even the non-deployment of new ambassadors is linked to the financial challenges.”

While noting that the foreign affairs minister acknowledged the cash flow issues, he argued that diplomats’ allowances should still be paid on time.

Reflecting on his retirement, the ex-envoy expressed relief at “being removed from the situation.”

He criticised the handling of foreign exchange, adding that the remittances used to be directly managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but, over time, he said personal conflicts and inefficiencies in the system have complicated the process.

The ex-ambassador also recalled a difficult personal experience in office “where bureaucratic delays and personal animosities made the situation even worse.”

Ultimately, he expressed frustration with the system but also expressed gratitude for being at peace in retirement.

A foreign affairs analyst, Charles Onunaiju, highlighted the lack of leadership in Nigerian high commissions, with no substantive heads of missions months after the President’s inauguration.

The leadership vacuum, he noted, was causing significant dysfunction, including delays in salary payments to embassy staff, unpaid bills, and poor service to Nigerians abroad.

“The proper head of mission to make adequate representation to Nigeria on the plight of the staff is not there,” he said.

He explained that diplomatic positions were often used as rewards for political allies rather than being filled by competent professionals who could promote the country’s interests abroad.

Onunaiju called for a shift from the current system where diplomatic roles were seen as political rewards.

“The politicians have been negligent of the foreign service and diplomatic service,” Onunaiju stated, stressing the broader systemic issues.

The international relations expert also pointed out that without proper leadership, the embassy staff could not effectively advocate for resources and better working conditions, leading to operational challenges.

“No head of mission is there. Nobody can make adequate representation to the government and speak authoritatively,” he noted.

He further stressed that the absence of ambassadors or high commissioners hampered the missions’ ability to address the issues which impacted Nigeria’s diplomatic influence and international standing.

Onunaiju stressed the need for reform and a more professional, merit-based approach to diplomacy to address the dysfunction in Nigeria’s foreign service.

“We will continue to experience dysfunction in our foreign missions until we do the right thing,” he said. (The PUNCH)

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