Budgetary limitations contributing to constraints facing foreign missions – Foreign Affairs Ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has attributed the operational and financial challenges facing Nigeria’s diplomatic and consular missions abroad to budgetary limitations and allocations shortfalls.

Nigerians in diaspora have decried the poor conditions of the country’s mission over the years. There have also been reports of these foreign missions owing salaries and being unable to pay house rent.

The foreign affairs ministry, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, noted 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,” the statement read in part.

Ebienfa revealed that these challenges stem from 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, however, noted 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 added 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.”

Source: Guardian Nigeria | Read the Full Story…