Nigeria’s Economic Challenges Affecting Our Foreign Missions – Foreign Affairs Ministry
Following several reports from Nigerians in diaspora decrying the poor conditions of the country’s mission over the years resulting to these foreign missions owing salaries and being unable to pay house rent, the Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that budgetary limitations and allocations shortfalls is the major contributor to the negative development.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nigeria made this known in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
The spokesman notes that it is aware of these challenges.
“The Ministry is not unaware of the restrictions that financial limitations have placed on the smooth running of the Missions, including the inability to pay salaries of locally recruited staff, financial obligations to service providers, rent to landlords, and the foreign service allowance to home-based officers”
Ebienfa reveals that these challenges was due to the economic challenges befalling the country.
“The financial situation in our Missions stems from budgetary limitations over the years, resulting in shortfalls in allocations, which in turn have significantly impacted the optimal functioning of many of our Missions abroad, and the ability to deliver on their core diplomatic and consular mandates effectively.”
The spokesperson, also notes that the current administration is addressing these issues by approving and releasing special intervention funds to cushion the effects of the hardship faced by some of the missions.
Ebienfa adds that the ministry has set up a committee to assess and confirm the debt profile of the affected missions to ensure that payments are justifiable and carried out based on equity and fairness to all those affected.
“In the same vein, the Ministry is also working diligently to develop a sustainable financial model for funding our missions abroad, which includes exploring innovative solutions and efficiency measures to ensure long-term operational stability.
“These efforts are integral to the broader public sector financial reforms being implemented by the Federal Government, aimed at enhancing fiscal governance and ensuring the effective allocation of resources.”
