By Reportcircle-Abuja
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA ) on Monday acknowledged the financial and operational difficulties currently facing several Nigerian Diplomatic and Consular Missions abroad.
In a press statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the Spokesperson of the Ministry informed that these challenges include delayed payment of salaries to locally recruited staff, unsettled obligations to service providers, unpaid rents, and arrears of allowances for home-based officers.
The Ministry clarified that these constraints are linked to long-standing budgetary shortfalls and the wider economic realities affecting government operations at home.
Despite these setbacks, the Federal Government has already begun implementing measures to stabilise the situation.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, approved the release of special intervention funds to ease the hardship faced by affected Missions.
A dedicated Committee has also been established to verify outstanding debts and ensure that payments are executed transparently and equitably.
So far, over 80 per cent of cleared funds have been disbursed, prioritising payments to service providers, salaries of local staff, and arrears due to officers.
In addition, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has been engaged to recover allocation shortfalls arising from foreign exchange differentials.
The first tranche of refunds has already been remitted to Missions, while the second semester allocations have also been approved for release this week.
The Ministry disclosed that work is underway to develop a sustainable funding model for Nigeria’s Missions, anchored on innovative financing and efficiency reforms aligned with the administration’s fiscal discipline agenda.
The Ministry commended the resilience and patriotism of its diplomatic staff, as well as the understanding shown by host governments and service providers during this period.
It reassured Nigerians at home and abroad that the welfare of staff and the effective functioning of Missions remain top priorities.
“These challenges are temporary,” the statement concluded, “and the Ministry remains confident that ongoing reforms will restore stability to our Missions and strengthen Nigeria’s global diplomatic presence.”
