At least 450 foreign service officers in 109 Nigerian missions abroad have yet to receive their salaries for the past five to six months, Journalist report.

The officials, serving under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are in financial distress and cannot pay rent and children’s school fees or meet other family and social obligations.

The acting spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, acknowledged the financial challenges facing the Nigerian missions and assured that the leadership was working to resolve the issue.

He stated that the ministry is aware of the difficulties faced by the missions abroad, and the leadership is working seriously to address the situation.

In the 2025 budget, the foreign affairs ministry proposed N353.77bn, with N214.64bn earmarked for personnel costs, N72.24bn for overheads and N66.82bn for capital expenditure.

The Federal Government equally proposed N53bn to renovate 103 foreign missions this year.

The funds will cover various needs, including renovations of chanceries, staff quarters, ambassadors’ residences, purchase of office furniture, and official vehicles, among others.

He stated that the delay in the budget passage had caused considerable hardship for the missions, as it also affected their ability to provide consular services to Nigerians in distress abroad.

A foreign affairs analyst, Charles Onunaiju, highlighted the lack of leadership in Nigerian high commissions, with no substantive heads of missions months after the President’s inauguration.

He further stressed that the absence of ambassadors or high commissioners hampered the missions’ ability to address the issues which impacted Nigeria’s diplomatic influence and international standing.

Onunaiju stressed the need for reform and a more professional, merit-based approach to diplomacy to address the dysfunction in Nigeria’s foreign service.

PUNCH