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The government acknowledged that the difficulties have hindered the smooth running of embassies and consulates in different countries.
The Federal Government says several Nigerian diplomatic and consular missions abroad are facing financial and operational challenges, ranging from unpaid staff salaries to mounting debts owed to landlords and service providers.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
He acknowledged that the difficulties have hindered the smooth running of embassies and consulates in different countries.
“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.
“It is pertinent to state, however, that the Nigerian diplomatic missions are not immune to the economic situation at home and its attendant challenges to government operations.
“The financial situation in our missions stems from budgetary limitations over the years, resulting in shortfalls in allocations.”
Ebienfa assured Nigerians at home and in the diaspora that the welfare of diplomatic staff and their families remains a top priority for the President Bola Tinubu administration.
He highlighted recent measures, including the approval and release of special intervention funds to ease the hardship faced by some missions.
The government stated that it has established a committee to assess the debt profiles of affected missions, adding that over 80 per cent of available funds have been cleared for payments, prioritising service providers, locally recruited staff salaries, and arrears owed to officers.
While noting that these missions are not exempt from the broader economic realities affecting Nigeria, the ministry emphasised that the budgetary shortfalls over the years have significantly hampered the effective functioning of missions and their ability to fulfil core diplomatic responsibilities.
