Leadership (Abuja)
Philip Nyam And Adesuwa Osunde
13 January 2009
Abuja — The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, has described the ministry as bloated, and attributed its low performance over the years to the gross devaluation of the ministry in terms of personnel capacity.
Maduekwe was speaking at a budget session with the House Committee on Foreign Affairs after failing twice to discuss the ministry's budget proposal for 2009.
He said influence peddling in recruitment of staff has affected its capacity to carry out its functions effectively.
The minister said, "Part of the problem has been the gross devaluation of this very ministry.
The devaluation took place in terms of personnel recruitment that had neither rhythm nor rhyme. It is a bloated ministry for a start. There are problems when you bring people into the service through patronage and through all kinds of networks and influence peddling. If you ask them to leave, it is not as easy as that.
"So, we have that problem and that is affecting our capacity to run the missions the way we would have run them. But we have the will and the commitment to do so. I think I have the capacity".
He added that over 82 missions are dilapidated and need the urgent attention of the government so that they will be able to depict the status and dignity of Nigeria abroad. He added that some of the missions will be merged and drastic measures taken to make them function more.
"Over 82 missions are dilapidated. The proposed figure for the missions in the budget is to show the government that there is a need to take care of them.
Our missions are in a mess. They are not in a position that reflects the status and dignity of this country.
We will take some tough, politically unpopular decisions to make sure they are well funded. Efforts in this direction have already commenced with the last administration.
This is why a mission like Singapore was downgraded from a full embassy to a charge d'affairs, Singapore, Mexico, Philippines".
Speaking on the deplorable state of Nigerian missions, especially in New York, which he described as a national scandal, Maduekwe explained that due to the situation of "responsibility without powers" which the ministry has been faced with since 2004, it has not been able to effectively manage missions but added that with effect from this month, the ministry will take over the finances of the ministry.
He also noted that fund for maintenance to the New York mission stopped in 2004, thereby leading to leaking roofs and failure to meet the guidelines of the building code of the country.
"The ministry of finance has been having responsibilities without powers.
"There was considerable distrust on what was perceived as corruption, funds being put in an account and not sent on time. So the ministry of finance was in charge of funds for the ministry".
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