The Ministry of Overseas Affairs has confirmed that a number of Nigerian diplomatic and consular missions overseas are scuffling with unpaid lease, wage arrears for native workers, and different {financial} obligations.
In an announcement issued on Monday, September 1, 2025, by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the ministry admitted that the missions are dealing with operational challenges resulting from years of budgetary shortfalls and the nation’s broader {economic} state of affairs.
“The Ministry just isn’t unaware of the restrictions that {financial} limitations have positioned on the graceful working of the Missions, together with the lack to pay salaries of regionally recruited workers, {financial} obligations to service suppliers, lease to landlords, and the overseas service allowance to home-based officers,” the assertion learn.
Based on the ministry, the state of affairs is a direct consequence of budgetary limitations over time, which have left Nigerian missions overseas unable to ship their core diplomatic and consular mandates successfully.
“It’s pertinent to state, nonetheless, that the Nigerian Diplomatic Missions usually are not proof against the {economic} state of affairs at residence and its attendant challenges to authorities operations,” the ministry defined.
The ministry famous that Tinubu administration has reportedly launched measures to deal with the disaster, together with the discharge of particular intervention funds to cushion the hardship confronted by the missions.
“To make sure that the monies remitted to the Missions are utilised judiciously and managed prudently according to this Administration’s {financial} self-discipline coverage, the Ministry arrange a committee to evaluate and make sure the debt profile of the affected Missions with a view to making sure that funds are justifiable and carried out primarily based on fairness and equity to all these affected,” the assertion famous.
The ministry revealed that greater than 80 per cent of the obtainable funds have been cleared for funds, with precedence given to service suppliers, salaries of regionally recruited workers and arrears of claims resulting from officers.
The ministry additionally acknowledged that alternate charge harmonisation and different current financial coverage modifications have worsened the state of affairs by creating funding shortfalls for missions.
“The Ministry has additionally engaged the Workplace of the Accountant-Common of the Federation in acquiring refunds for the shortfall in Missions’ allocations within the 2024 fiscal 12 months resulting from overseas alternate differentials related to the brand new financial coverage and the harmonisation of alternate charges,” the assertion added.
It confirmed that the primary tranche of refunds had already been remitted to missions, with some confirming receipt, whereas second-semester allocations had additionally been accepted.
Past rapid reduction, the ministry mentioned it’s engaged on a sustainable {financial} mannequin for funding Nigerian missions overseas. This mannequin, it defined, would come with modern options and effectivity measures to make sure long-term operational stability, according to ongoing public sector {financial} reforms.
The ministry assured Nigerians residing abroad and the worldwide neighborhood that their welfare and the graceful functioning of diplomatic missions stay a precedence for the federal government.
“We’re assured that the present challenges are short-term and will likely be overcome by way of the concerted efforts of this administration,” the ministry said.
It additionally recommended the resilience of diplomatic workers and thanked host governments, service suppliers, and worldwide companions for his or her endurance in the course of the {financial} disaster.
