By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
Nigeria’s foreign missions are increasingly representing a country whose diplomatic reach now exceeds its financial capacity.
That was the stark warning on Wednesday as the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs confronted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, over a worsening funding crisis lawmakers say is eroding Nigeria’s credibility abroad.
At the National Assembly oversight session, Committee Chairman Abubakar Sani Bello disclosed that multiple Nigerian embassies are operating under severe financial strain, a situation he said now threatens both operational effectiveness and national image.
According to the Committee, several missions abroad are battling basic operational survival rather than diplomacy.
Reported obligations include:
unpaid salaries of locally engaged staff lasting up to four months
outstanding school fees for diplomats’ children
unpaid medical and legal bills
rent arrears and utility bills
limited mobility due to unmaintained official vehicles
Lawmakers said diplomats are now forced into crisis management, balancing foreign policy responsibilities with staff welfare disputes.
In some locations, the committee heard, morale has deteriorated sharply as local employees remain unpaid for months.
The committee also raised alarm over Nigeria’s overdue statutory contributions to global bodies, warning the delays expose the country to diplomatic embarrassment and potential sanctions.
Minister Tuggar confirmed the arrears, citing outstanding payments to organisations including the United Nations and the African Union.
He warned that persistent defaults could weaken Nigeria’s influence in multilateral negotiations, reducing the country’s leverage in decisions affecting trade, security and development financing.
According to him, inadequate funding has shifted the ministry from proactive diplomacy to reactive engagement.
Also appearing before lawmakers was Yusuf Buba Yakub, Director-General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps Nigeria’s soft-power programme that exports expertise rather than financial aid.
The Corps deploys professionals doctors, engineers, teachers and other specialists to manpower-deficient countries across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Since its launch in 1987, more than 10,000 Nigerian professionals have served abroad under the initiative, supporting public institutions including hospitals, universities and government agencies.
Officials say the programme remains one of Nigeria’s most cost-effective diplomatic tools, generating goodwill without heavy fiscal transfers.
The Committee directed the ministry to provide a comprehensive statement of all outstanding liabilities, including international dues, to enable engagement with the Appropriations Committee.
Lawmakers pledged legislative support but emphasised urgency, warning that chronic underfunding risks shrinking Nigeria’s global voice at a time of rising geopolitical competition.
For Africa’s most populous nation, the challenge is no longer defining foreign policy ambition but financing it.
With missions increasingly preoccupied by unpaid bills and delayed contributions, analysts say the immediate test is whether budgetary intervention can stabilise operations before reputational damage translates into lost influence.
Nigeria’s diplomats still occupy seats at global tables.
The concern in the Senate is whether the country can afford to keep them there.
