Nigeria's foreign missions, like others elsewhere, oil the wheel of international diplomacy and ensure that the country enjoys healthy relations with other nations. They are the country's face in foreign lands and serve as a link between the government and its citizens living abroad. Nigeria has 109 missions: 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates worldwide.
These missions are responsible for providing consular services, promoting trade, investment, and cultural exchange, and also protecting the interests of Nigerians living abroad. However, growing concerns exist about the lack of transparency and accountability in managing these missions.
One of the critical issues is the lack of financial transparency regarding internally generated revenue. The perception is so pervasive that there is scant information on how much revenue the foreign missions generate from the issuance of passports and visas and how the funds so realised are utilised.
This lack of transparency raises questions about the efficiency and effectiveness of these missions' management. It also raises concerns about corruption and the potential misuse of public funds.
Moreover, the federal government spends considerable money to maintain these foreign missions. That, in itself, ought to be a sufficient ground to make public information on the funding mechanism and its deployment for the efficient running of those missions.
Media reports indicate cases of dilapidated buildings, poor working conditions, and inadequate resources in some of these missions, highlighting the need for greater transparency and accountability in their management. It may be that they are underfunded, which such an integrity check will expose.
Between July and August this year alone, the federal government disbursed N13.7 billion for the personnel costs of 16 foreign missions. The overseas missions are those located in The Hague (Netherlands), Tokyo (Japan), Vienna (Austria), Washington (United States), Berlin (Germany), Brasilia (Brazil), Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), Beijing (China), Geneva (Switzerland), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), London (United Kingdom), Madrid (Spain), Moscow (Russia), New York (USA), and Ottawa (Canada).
Again, in 2022, the federal government inaugurated the Presidential Committee on the Review of Numbers and Strategy for Resourcing Nigeria's Diplomatic Missions Worldwide. The committee's responsibility included " drastically reducing the cost of running Nigeria's foreign missions " and documenting all their assets.
At the inauguration of the Committee in Abuja, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said Nigeria's diplomatic missions overseas face multifaceted challenges, including perennial indebtedness, which poses attendant damage to the nation's integrity.
The expectation, then, was that the Presidential Committee would enable the federal government to tackle the root cause of the diplomatic missions' critical state of affairs, particularly their impact on Nigeria's image in the international arena in general. The timeline for this Committee's activities was three (3) months.
The Committee's terms of reference included, among other things, identifying and categorising missions' revenue generation capacity and performance in this regard, the causes and level of indebtedness, cost-cutting measures, and all other steps that need to be taken to drastically reduce the cost of running Nigeria's foreign missions. After two years, nothing has been heard of the committee or its report.
The accounts of Nigeria's foreign missions were last audited about 14 years ago. Given the country's current economic challenges, this is unacceptable. The government should immediately audit these missions to ensure they operate efficiently and effectively. The audit should also examine their financial management and revenue generation.
However, the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation has complained of inadequate funding, which has hampered its functions. This is a serious concern, as the Auditor General's office is crucial in ensuring accountability and transparency in government operations. The government must provide adequate funding to the Auditor General's office to enable it to carry out its mandate effectively.
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Furthermore, the government needs to implement measures to improve the management of these foreign missions. This includes the appointment of competent and experienced staff, the provision of adequate resources, and the establishment of clear guidelines and procedures for their management. The government should also ensure that the performance of these missions is regularly monitored and evaluated.
This entails a deliberate engagement in healthier dialogue with Nigerians living abroad. When managing these foreign missions, these people's views and concerns should be considered. This will help ensure that the missions are responsive to their needs and interests.
As a newspaper, we are concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability in managing Nigeria's foreign missions. Nigerian diplomats should embrace the principles of accountability and responsibility in fund management. They also owe themselves a duty to highlight any inadequacy in funding so as to have a balanced assessment of the revenue processes and their utilisation. This will go a long way toward enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of foreign missions in performing their duties at minimal cost.
