Nigeria’s foreign missions are facing a deepening crisis, grappling with unpaid staff salaries, rent arrears, and crumbling infrastructure, even as President Bola Tinubu’s extensive overseas travels in 2025 have yet to deliver tangible relief.
- Nigeria’s foreign missions face severe challenges due to unpaid salaries, rent arrears, and inadequate funding.
- Prolonged absence of ambassadors weakens Nigeria’s diplomatic capacity and global representation.
- President Tinubu often travels abroad to manage international relations personally, amid criticism from domestic opposition.
- Addressing these issues requires appointing ambassadors and increasing budgetary support for foreign missions.
The Federal Government recently acknowledged the scale of the problem. In a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa, the government admitted that budget shortfalls and foreign exchange policy changes had crippled the smooth operation of embassies and consulates.
“The ministry is not unaware of the restrictions that financial limitations have placed on the smooth running of the missions, including the inability to pay salaries of locally recruited staff, financial obligations to service providers, rent to landlords, and the foreign service allowance to home-based officers,” the statement read.
According to the ministry, years of chronic underfunding have left missions unable to fulfil their basic diplomatic and consular mandates.
But the financial strain also highlights a deeper leadership vacuum. Nearly two years after Tinubu recalled all ambassadors shortly after his May 2023 inauguration, Nigeria has yet to appoint replacements for its 109 missions.
The prolonged absence of ambassadors has weakened Nigeria’s diplomatic standing at a time of shifting global politics and economics.
Chargés d’affaires and junior officials have been left to handle day-to-day duties, but without the authority to negotiate trade deals, represent the country at high-level forums, or adequately protect Nigerians abroad.
In March, reports suggested the government was vetting candidates for the long-vacant posts, raising hopes of imminent appointments. But those expectations fizzled, leaving the diplomatic corps adrift.
In the 2025 budget, the Nigerian government allocated ₦66.88 billion for capital expenditure and ₦286.88 billion for recurrent costs to foreign missions, yet the government still blames financial and procedural hurdles for their paralysis, an excuse many experts find unconvincing.
Tinubu’s ‘do it myself’ foreign policy
In the absence of ambassadors, President Tinubu has adopted a more personal approach to international relations, embarking on a flurry of foreign trips since assuming office.
By official count, the president has undertaken at least 43 international journeys since May 2023, with 15 of them occurring this year alone across 11 countries.
From Ghana to the Vatican, France to Brazil, Japan to Saint Lucia, Tinubu has appeared on global stages ranging from energy summits to trade forums and even papal inaugurations.
His most recent trip, a working vacation in France and the UK, has again stirred debate about whether his frequent travels are strengthening Nigeria’s foreign relations or merely papering over the cracks left by the absence of proper diplomatic representation.
Critics argue that while Tinubu’s travels may project visibility, they cannot substitute for the long-term structures required to manage Nigeria’s foreign policy.
Without ambassadors on the ground, Nigeria’s citizens abroad are left with limited protection, its trade and security interests suffer, and its image as Africa’s most populous nation is undermined.
Backlash grows over Tinubu’s trips
Opposition voices have grown increasingly strident. Timothy Osadolor, Deputy Youth Leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), described the president’s trips as “insensitive” and a misuse of taxpayers’ money, accusing him of prioritising medical tourism and personal convenience over the urgent needs of Nigerians.
Similarly, PDP’s Interim National Publicity Secretary Tony Akeni mocked the president’s penchant for leaving the country, warning that he appears “allergic to staying at home to tackle the nation’s problems.”
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, also added his voice to the growing chorus of criticism over President Bola Tinubu’s frequent foreign travels, arguing that such trips come at a time when Nigeria desperately needs decisive leadership at home to confront mounting challenges.
The former Anambra State governor said the president’s constant journeys abroad project the image of a leader increasingly uneasy within his own country.
These criticisms come against the backdrop of severe economic hardship at home. Inflation is soaring and by some estimates, more than 135 million Nigerians have slipped into poverty in the first 18 months of Tinubu’s rule due to tough economic reforms.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), however, has defended the president, arguing that Tinubu’s international engagements are critical for attracting foreign investment, strengthening security partnerships, and securing military support needed to combat terrorism and other crimes.
“Given the imperative of global cooperation for national development, and the fierce competition for scarce resources, Nigeria cannot afford to live in isolation, nor can it confront terrorism and other security challenges on its own,” the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, stated.
For many citizens, the sight of their president in foreign capitals, whether for summits, bilateral talks, or vacations, contrasts sharply with the desperation of daily life in Nigeria.
With its foreign missions starved of resources and stripped of leadership, Nigeria’s international image now hangs in the balance.
Analysts warn that the government must urgently align its diplomatic priorities with its budgetary commitments by appointing ambassadors, funding missions adequately, and restoring Nigeria’s voice abroad.
Until then, Tinubu’s foreign trips may win him applause on global stages, but they will do little to resolve the crises facing Nigeria’s foreign missions or to reassure millions of Nigerians who depend on those missions for protection and support.
