At least 450 foreign service officers in 109 Nigerian missions abroad have yet to receive their salaries for the past five to six months, The TheNigerian can 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, “The ministry is aware of the difficulties faced by the missions abroad, and the leadership is working seriously to address the situation.

“With the recent passage of the 2025 Appropriation Act by the National Assembly, there is strong optimism that the Bill will be signed into law soonest by Mr President and that will positively impact the finances of the ministry and missions abroad.”

Findings indicate that the ministry spent N251.71bn on salaries in four years.

This comes on the heels of the increased budgetary allocation to the ministry and the missions.

In 2021, a total of N73.14bn was budgeted by the ministry with N34.38bn earmarked for personnel expenditure. For 2022, the ministry budgeted N88.09bn out of which N55.27bn was expended on salaries.

In 2023, N98.11bn was approved while N62.30bn was allocated for personnel costs and in 2024, N160.06bn was appropriated while N99.76bn was allocated for salaries.

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.

Allocations include N554m for the foreign mission in Abidjan; N812m for Banjul; N555m for Brazzaville; N558m for Port of Spain; N576m for Caracas; N624m for Kingston; N567m for Libreville; N409m for Buenos Aires, N899m for Niamey, among others.

Despite the increased appropriation, funding for the missions was insufficient, with many of them struggling to finance their operations and renovations.

The TheNigerian reported that the situation had been worsened by delays in the appointment of new ambassadors.

Senior Presidency and Foreign Service officials earlier informed our correspondent that about $1bn was required to clear the backlogs of bills and adequately finance the nation’s 109 missions, 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates globally.

On taking office, President Bola Tinubu reassessed Nigeria’s foreign policy and initiated a recall of 83 ambassadors in September 2023.

The process of appointing new envoys has, however, faced delays due to financial shortfalls.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, admitted insufficient funding for essential embassy operations and ambassadorial support.

“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.

“Mr President is working on it, and it will be done in due course,” he said during a ministerial briefing in May 2023.

Sources within the ministry, however, attributed the embarrassing financial situation to poor funding and delays in the 2025 budget passage.

Officials at various embassies disclosed that they had not been paid for several months, with some going without their salaries since August or September 2024.

An official who spoke on the condition of anonymity lamented that the delay in budget approval had left the missions struggling to cover basic operational costs.

This includes rent, embassy staff salaries and payments to service providers.

As a result, the missions have accumulated significant debts, with several service providers taking legal action to recover unpaid dues, the source added.

“This is mid-February, and the budget has not been approved or signed. How are the missions faring under this reality of financial neglect?

“The debts are piling up, and some service providers have dragged some missions to court for redress. Some staff in most foreign missions have not been paid for six months,” the source stated.

Another source revealed that embassy staff were unable to effectively serve the needs of Nigerians abroad due to the financial difficulties faced by their missions.

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.

“The missions are struggling to stay afloat, and the lack of funds has a direct impact on their ability to serve Nigerians abroad,” the source stated, stressing that the situation required urgent intervention.

A Foreign Service Officer who concluded his duty tour last year stated, “Due to paucity of funds, officers are faced with the unfortunate situation of using their personal funds to buy consumables such as toners, ink for printers and papers for the missions.”

Ex-diplomat Rasheed Akinkuolie traced the problem to the 1983 overthrow of the second civilian administration and the long military rule.

Akinkuolie said, “The underfunding of Nigerian diplomatic missions started from around 1983, with the overthrow of the second civilian administration and long military rule. And it was at that point that the funding of Nigerian missions became measly.

“The military did not appreciate the critical role Nigerian missions play in economic, social, security, and image of Nigeria abroad.

“Since the military was in power for a long time, the underfunding persisted and continued under the civilian administration till date,” he said.

Akinkuolie pointed out that the budget for the foreign affairs ministry in 2025, when spread across 109 missions, could not sustain them.

“The budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2025 is N353bn or $233m. If this is spread across 109 missions, this amounts to very little.

“Nigeria High Commission in London is allocated N7bn or £3.6m, where drivers have to be paid a minimum wage of about £1,500 a month,” he further stressed.

The retired diplomat also highlighted the negative impact of fluctuating exchange rates, stating, “The allocation in naira is still subjected to the vagaries of the exchange rate.

“This is a real problem, which must be addressed to enable the ministry to retain its best officers and attract the best candidates.”

He added that the current system had forced many officers to resign and join the United Nations and other organisations.

“Several officers simply leave and join the UN and other international organisations, while at post. This is dangerous and inimical to Nigeria’s interests,” he asserted.

To solve the long-standing issue, Akinkuolie proposed reverting to the old practice of budgeting in both US dollars and naira.

“The old practice of budgeting in USD and naira will solve this perennial problem. The allocation to missions should be remitted directly to missions in USD by the Central Bank, while the component for running the ministry in Nigeria should be in naira,” he advised.

A retired ambassador who spoke anonymously noted that the issue had been “persisting for quite some time, and even the non-deployment of new ambassadors is linked to the financial challenges.”

While noting that the foreign affairs minister acknowledged the cash flow issues, he argued that diplomats’ allowances should still be paid on time.

Reflecting on his retirement, the ex-envoy expressed relief at “being removed from the situation.”

He criticised the handling of foreign exchange, adding that the remittances used to be directly managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but, over time, he said personal conflicts and inefficiencies in the system have complicated the process.

The ex-ambassador also recalled a difficult personal experience in office “where bureaucratic delays and personal animosities made the situation even worse.”

Ultimately, he expressed frustration with the system but also expressed gratitude for being at peace in retirement.

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.

The leadership vacuum, he noted, was causing significant dysfunction, including delays in salary payments to embassy staff, unpaid bills, and poor service to Nigerians abroad.

“The proper head of mission to make adequate representation to Nigeria on the plight of the staff is not there,” he said.

He explained that diplomatic positions were often used as rewards for political allies rather than being filled by competent professionals who could promote the country’s interests abroad.

Onunaiju called for a shift from the current system where diplomatic roles were seen as political rewards.

“The politicians have been negligent of the foreign service and diplomatic service,” Onunaiju stated, stressing the broader systemic issues.

The international relations expert also pointed out that without proper leadership, the embassy staff could not effectively advocate for resources and better working conditions, leading to operational challenges.

“No head of mission is there. Nobody can make adequate representation to the government and speak authoritatively,” he noted.

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.

“We will continue to experience dysfunction in our foreign missions until we do the right thing,” he said.

The amount budgeted for personnel costs, including salaries and allowances to state civil servants, has increased from N2.036tn spent in 2024 to N3.87tn in the approved 2025 budget.

Although the 36 sub-national allocated a total sum of N2.8tn as salaries costs, it only paid out a total of N2.036tn within the 12 months of 2024, a reduction of N764bn, according to its budget implementation report.

According to data obtained from the 2025 approved budget of the 36 state governments, the increase occasioned by the implementation of the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage and spiralling political appointments reflects an increase of nearly 90.23 per cent.

The approved budgets are also contained in Open States, a BudgIT-backed website that serves as a repository of government budget data.

The budget report also indicated that at least 27 states of the federation would not be able to pay workers’ salaries this year without having to wait for federal allocations from the central government.

In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu officially approved a significant increase in the minimum wage for Nigerian workers, raising it from N30,000 to N70,000.

This decision came after several months of rigorous discussions and negotiations between the government and labour unions.

However, the implementation of this wage increase has been gradual across the country, with some states still yet to adopt the new minimum wage.

In response to this delay, the Nigerian Labour Congress issued a stern ultimatum to state governments, demanding that they fully implement the new wage structure by December 1, 2024.

Despite this pressure, several states have yet to initiate the payment of the revised minimum wage, further prolonging the financial relief workers were expecting.

An in-depth analysis of the budget document revealed significant variations in personnel costs across states: 20 states saw an increase in personnel expenses exceeding 50 per cent, while 16 states experienced a more modest rise, with salary increases remaining below the 50 per cent threshold.

A further breakdown showed that Abia, Cross Rivers, Ekiti, Niger, Rivers, and Taraba states got the highest increase in its payroll, exceeding 100 per cent of its 2024 personnel cost budget. While Gombe, Osun and Ondo got the lowest salary increase percentage, scoring below 15 per cent.

In a detailed examination of the salary increases across each state, Abia approved a notable increase in its personnel costs, with an escalation from N33.045bn to N77.34bn, representing a 134 per cent increase. Similarly, Adamawa’s personnel cost rose from N48.61bn to N74.23bn, marking a 52.7 per cent increase.

In Akwa Ibom, a sharp surge from N91.74bn to N126.69bn was approved, representing an impressive 38.1 per cent growth.

Anambra state, under Governor Charles Soludo, also approved a significant rise from N34.001bn to N63.41bn, indicating an 86.45 per cent increase.

Bauchi followed suit with an increase from N42.29bn to N70.41bn, showcasing an uplift of approximately 66.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, Bayelsa saw its personnel costs climb from N60.18bn to N114.21bn, a rise of over 89 per cent, signalling an emphasis on investing in its workforce.

In Cross River, the personnel cost grew sharply from N35.02bn to N106.12bn, reflecting a 202 per cent increase, one of the highest among the states. Delta also recorded a notable surge in its expenditure from N139.999bn to N185bn, signalling a growth of about 32.5 per cent.

Ebonyi followed with an increase from N23.076bn to N36.66bn, growing by 58.9 per cent.

Edo with its leap from N74.58bn to N101.29bn, reflected a 35.8 per cent increase, while Ekiti registered a substantial rise from N30.69bn to N62.51bn, almost doubling its personnel cost.

Enugu also saw a substantial rise from N47.988bn to N70.954bn, an increase of 48 per cent.

However, Gombe stood out with a negligible decrease in personnel costs, falling from N40.52bn to N40.28bn, a small dip of just 0.6 per cent.

On the other hand, Imo saw an increase from N41.92bn to N67.4bn, showing an upward trend of 60.9 per cent.

Jigawa experienced a jump from N51.445bn to N90.73bn, an increase of 76.4 per cent, while Kaduna’s personnel costs grew by 23.4 per cent from N68.010bn to N83.94bn.

Kano, one of the largest increases in this analysis, saw its personnel costs skyrocket from N89.97bn to a staggering N150.996bn, an impressive 67.8 per cent rise.

Katsina, which saw an increase from N29.69bn to N58.62bn, experienced a growth rate of 97.6 per cent. In Kogi, the personnel budget grew from N64.798bn to N109.96bn, an increase of 69.8 per cent.

Kwara followed a similar trend, rising from N51.045bn to N69.152bn, a growth of 35.5 per cent.

The largest increase came from Lagos, which saw its personnel costs more than double, from N225.114bn to N401.12bn.

In Nasarawa, personnel costs increased from N48.704bn to N80.456bn, a 65.2 per cent rise, while Niger recorded an even larger leap, from N25.36bn to N104.301bn, reflecting a growth of 311.5 per cent. Ondo saw an increase from N75.96bn to N139.726bn, an uplift of 83.9 per cent, while Osun also registered a significant rise from N55.571bn to N102.89bn, an 85.1 per cent increase.

Oyo experienced a massive increase, with personnel costs rising from N116.207 bn to N214.116bn, an 84.3 per cent increase.

Similarly, Plateau saw its personnel expenditure climb from N38.963bn to N67.144bn, marking a 72.5 per cent increase.

Rivers State, under Governor Siminalayi Fubara, recorded a staggering rise from N167.05bn to N343.196bn, a 105.6 per cent increase.

Sokoto also saw a substantial increase, from N55.32bn to N64.711bn, a 17 per cent rise.

Taraba experienced a significant increase from N36.319bn to N95.23bn, a 162 per cent rise, while Yobe recorded a 34 per cent increase, growing from N47.95bn to N64.12bn.

Zamfara saw a moderate increase, with personnel costs rising from N34.21bn to N58.38bn, a growth of 70.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, the substantial increase in salaries and allowances across various states has introduced a new set of challenges.

With the sharp rise in personnel costs, at least 27 states of the federation now face the stark reality that they will be unable to meet their payroll obligations without relying heavily on federal allocations from the central government.

This means only 9 out of the 36 state governments of the federation can independently pay their workers’ salaries without depending on federal allocations.

This is an increase from 24 states that couldn’t pay salaries without federal allocation in 2024, according to an analysis of the state governments’ approved budgets for the 2024 fiscal year.

The states with robust internal revenue are Lagos, Abia, Benue, Enugu, Ogun, Niger Kaduna, Kwara, and Osun.

According to the analysis of the budget data, 27 states cannot fund salary payments from their internally generated Revenue and, as such, may have to rely on Federal Government allocations or borrowing from banks and related institutions.

The development also means that the respective wage bills of the affected states surpassed their various IGRs, raising concerns about workers’ productivity and state governments’ efficiency in internal revenue generation.

Speaking with The TheNigerian, the economist noted that the latest data further stress the need to reduce the cost of governance across the country.

Commenting, the director and CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Muda Yusuf, noted that there are several arguments for the state’s low revenue generation and its bloated civil service workforce.

He said, “The IGR thing, first of all, we need to recognize that there are big disparities in the natural endowment of the states. Not all states are equally endowed. You know, you can’t compare a state that is a coastal state like Lagos or Delta where you have a lot of oil companies, and they pay taxes through P.A.Y.E.

“If you take a state like Jigawa or a state like Gombe or a state like Kogi, most of the businesses there are SMEs. Most of them are agricultural businesses because most of them are farmers. How much IGR can you get from these people? So what you discover invariably is that the IGR that they get in those states are only from the salaries of the workers.

“The second argument is that many of them have the bloated workforce, which they don’t need. If you go to some ministries, many of them are carrying ghost workers. Some of them don’t even show up in their offices.

“Some of them can run all these ministries with half of the government’s workforce. But because of political and other considerations, they have too many workforces that they don’t need.”.

A professor of economics at Babcock University, Segun Ajibola, said, “The states must do all they can to raise internally generated revenue without putting undue pressure on their citizens. Secondly, they must reduce the cost of governance, block wastages, do proper streamlining of ministries, departments, and agencies,numberrofligacy, and ensure accountability and transparency in government.

A former chief economist at Zenith Bank, Marcel Okeke, pointed out that the increase in the ministries and governance at the centre would trickle down to the subnationals and impact their wage bill.

“Most of the things these governors do are done out of political considerations and not economic ones, from the location of companies to the appointments of aides; special advisers, senior special advisers, and so on. There are notorious cases of governors appointing hundreds or thousands of assistants. What are those people doing, and are they paid money? Can they not do with a fewer number of them?

“Do you know we have bloated staff? In some ministries, that should only have about 100,  they have 400 to 500, so a job that should be done by one person, you haveeee about five persons hanging around. What some people do is to carry files and they have no job. When these states do staff audits, they report ghost workers. If they look into this area, they can reduce cost,” he said.

Also, the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwagunma, lambasted Nigerian government officials for their lack of vision, sincerity, and patriotism.

Nwagunma pointed out that despite promises from the president to cut the cost of governance by reducing the number of appointees and ministries, the reality is the opposite—new ministries are being created, and a record number of appointees are being appointed.

He said, “The government at all levels in Nigeria is composed mainly of people who are visionless, insincere, unpatriotic, selfish, and insensitive to the suffering of the people they claim to serve.

“They do the opposite of everything they claim they will do. The president talked about reducing the cost of governance by pruning down the number of government appointees and ministries.  But the president is busy creating new ministries and appointing the highest ever number of appointees, both as ministers and aides.

“The same thing is happening at the state levels.  State governors appoint needless numbers of aides with almost every other aid having their aides.  While the state of the economy continues to worsen, with government policies unable to alleviate the suffering of the majority of Nigerians who continue to groan in deprivation, poverty, and hunger, the same government officials continue to live in obscene and provocative opulence and extravagant lifestyles. And they ask Nigerians to be patient and to continue to make sacrifices.”