The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has cited financial and economic difficulties as the reason for the delay in appointing ambassadors under the current administration.
Tuggar made this disclosure during the ministerial sectoral briefing in Abuja.
Nigeria maintains 109 missions worldwide, including 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates.
“The whole idea was to stop subsidising consumption and focus on subsidising production.
“However, the government has faced various other challenges. When the microeconomic reforms began showing benefits, platforms like Binance and the rise of cryptocurrencies began undermining those gains,” Tuggar stated.
According to the minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been receiving the necessary funding to operate effectively.
He noted that it was pointless to appoint ambassadors without the financial resources to support their travel and the effective running of missions abroad.
“We met a situation where Foreign Affairs was not being funded like the way it should be. Some loopholes are exploited by the likes of Binance. It is a money problem. There is no point sending out ambassadors if you do not have the funds for them to even travel to their designated country and to run the missions effectively, one needs funding,” he said.
Despite these hurdles, Tuggar assured all that the government was addressing the issue.
“Mr. President is working on it and it will be done in due course,” he concluded.
On September 2, 2023, President Bola Tinubu recalled all career and non-career ambassadors operating the country’s diplomatic missions, embassies and consulates globally.
The envoys were directed to return to the country on or before October 31. They include the 41 non-career ambassadors and 42 career ambassadors appointed by Former President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2020.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Highlights Major International Investments and Partnerships in Nigeria
Speaking on the significant international investments and agreements achieved by the Ministry so far, Tuggar said among the notable investments is a €250 million infusion from the Netherlands, designed to enhance existing business ventures in Nigeria.
Additionally, he noted that Indian investors have committed $14 billion across multiple industries, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), power, steel and manufacturing, agriculture, defense, telecommunications, space communications, digital solutions, insurance, processed foods, real estate, and hospitality.
In further support of Nigeria's digital and creative sectors, the Minister highlighted that a financing agreement of £100 million has been secured for the Digital and Creative Enterprises Program (I-DICE).
Among other things, he disclosed that a substantial $2 billion investment from Germany is set to advance the Nigeria-Siemens Power Project, a key initiative aimed at enhancing the country’s power infrastructure.
“Nigeria Riverside LNG has entered into a $500 million MOU with Germany’s Johannes Schuetze Energy Import AG to export liquefied natural gas (LNG). Under this agreement, Nigeria will supply 850,000 tons of natural gas to Germany annually, with plans to increase this to 1.2 million tons by 2026”, he added.
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