According to Ionigeria, The
Senate, yesterday, raised the alarm that the nation’s diplomatic missions were
facing challenges of inability to pay home-based officers allowances, local
staff salaries, rent for residences, chanceries and other staff official
quarters.
According to the Senate, with
these myriad of issues and financial woes, the collective and corporate image
of Nigeria is suffering at the moment, thereby resulting in the loss of
prestige and influence in the comity of nations.
It, however, vowed to come
up with ways to fix what it described as total mess and embarrassment to the
country.
The resolution of the
Senate was sequel to a motion by Tijjani Yahaya Kaura (APC, Zamfara North),
entitled: “The urgent need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to fund our
Foreign Missions.”
The senators, who painted a
gloomy picture of Nigerian diplomatic missions, said there was also paucity of
funds for other sundry expenses, adding that there were threats by host
countries to revoke building permits of some property belonging to Nigerian
missions.
The threat of revocation of
the permits was said to have been informed by the buildings’ poor structural
conditions, which constituted hazard to the communities they were located.
Presenting the motion,
Kaura said: “The Senate notes that Nigerian diplomatic missions are facing
several challenges, including their inability to pay home-based officers
allowances, local staff salaries, rent for residences, chanceries and other
staff official quarters, in addition to the dire lack of funds for other sundry
expenses such as visits to Nigerians in jail and provision for other consular
services.
“It regrets that there are
threats by host countries to revoke building permits of some property abroad
belonging to Nigerian missions, following their poor structural conditions,
which constitute hazard to the communities where such buildings are situated,
and lack of routine maintenance that will bring such structures in line with
the building codes of host countries.”
“It further regrets that
the Ministry’s budget envelope is grossly inadequate to meet its expenditure
requirements, even at headquarters and with this situational analysis, the
ministry’s approved 2017 budget would hardly provide the needed impetus
required to achieve Nigeria’s foreign policy goal and objectives in pursuance
of our national interest;
“Consequent upon these
myriad of issues and financial woes, the collective and corporate image of
Nigeria suffers, resulting in the loss of prestige and influence in the comity
of nations.
“The Senate is worried that
some of these problems arise as a result of over staffing in our foreign missions;
following our flagrant refusal to comply with the provisions of the
presidential ceiling of the staff strength of individual missions based on the
Ministry’s grading.”
At the end of
deliberations, the only recommendation that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr
Geoffrey Onyema, Minister of Finance Mrs Kemi Adeosun and the Governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele be summoned to brief the
Senate on the poor condition of foreign missions, was thrown out.
Instead, the senators resolved
to set up an adhoc committee to engage the Ministers of Foreign Affairs,
ambassadors, high commissioners, Charge d’ Affairs, other stakeholders and come
up with possible ways of addressing the problem raised in the motion.
Senate President, Bukola
Saraki, has not announced the composition of the committee.
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