Funding-Issues Behind Delay In Ambassador-Appointments (Full Details)

The Federal Government has stated that the delay in appointing ambassadors to serve in foreign missions is due to a lack of funds. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, made this announcement on Tuesday during a ministerial briefing to mark President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office….CONTINUE READING

In September 2023, President Tinubu directed the recall of all career and non-career ambassadors serving in various countries but has since not announced their successors. However, the President has appointed Consuls-general and Chargés d’affaires in different Nigerian Embassies abroad.

Speaking at the briefing, Tuggar explained that the Bola Tinubu administration inherited a Ministry of Foreign Affairs that was significantly underfunded. He emphasized that sending ambassadors without adequate funding for their travel and the effective operation of embassies would be impractical.

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“We met a situation where foreign affairs was not being funded the way it should be. And secondly, there were loopholes being exploited by the likes of Binance,” Tuggar stated. “There is no point in sending ambassadors if we don’t have the funds to even travel to their missions. To run the embassies effectively and judiciously, we need funds.”

Tuggar assured that President Tinubu is aware of the funding issues and is working to ensure that ambassadors are appointed as soon as possible. He highlighted that the new administration has faced several challenges, including economic reforms and the removal of fuel subsidies.

“Part of the problem is the situation that the new administration came and inherited. Of course, you know, President Tinubu focused on removing fuel subsidy. The whole idea was for us to stop subsidising consumption and start subsidising production,” he explained.

Tuggar also mentioned additional challenges such as the impact of Binance and cryptocurrency on the economy, which have undermined the gains of the government’s economic reforms. “Even as the economic reforms were taking shape, we were beginning to see the impacts and then came the likes of Binance and crypto, which started undermining the gains. So we have a problem with our currency,” he added.

Published By: Destiny.Jnr