By Abiola Olawale
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar had revealed the real reason for the delay in appointing ambassadors to serve in Nigeria’s foreign missions.
The Minister speaking during a ministerial briefing to mark President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office, said the delay in appointing ambassadors is due to the financial and economic challenges being faced by the current administration.
Tuggar further noted that Tinubu inherited a Ministry of Foreign Affairs that was significantly underfunded.
According to him, sending ambassadors without adequate funding for their travel and the effective operation of embassies would be impractical.
He said: “We met a situation where foreign affairs was not being funded the way it should be. And secondly, loopholes were being exploited by the likes of Binance.
“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.
He continued: “Part of the problem is the situation that the new administration came and inherited. Of course, you know, President Tinubu focused on removing fuel subsidies. The whole idea was for us to stop subsidising consumption and start subsidising production.”
The New Diplomat reports that on September 2, 2023, Tinubu recalled all career and non-career ambassadors operating the country’s diplomatic missions, embassies and consulates globally.
Meanwhile, the lack of appointed ambassadors has begun to generate concerns about Nigeria’s diplomatic representation and the effectiveness of its foreign missions.
