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By Tracy Moses
The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has summoned the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, as well as Nigeria’s ambassadors and high commissioners across the globe, to appear before it and explain how funds allocated for the country’s foreign missions in the 2025 budget were utilised.
The summons was contained in a letter dated July 24, 2025, signed by the committee chairman, Hon. Oluwole Oke. The panel said the decision was made pursuant to its constitutional mandate under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empower the National Assembly to investigate the use of public funds.
For years, many of Nigeria’s foreign missions have been hampered by insufficient funding, resulting in poor consular services to citizens abroad. These challenges have been worsened by repeated accusations of graft, mismanagement, and diversion of public resources within the diplomatic service.
Earlier in the year, the Oke-led committee opened a probe into the alleged diversion of $2 million meant for renovating the official residence of Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
In the latest directive to the Foreign Affairs Minister, the lawmakers demanded that all missions submit detailed financial records, including approved budgets for 2024 and 2025, implementation reports for the same period, a breakdown of special intervention funds released between 2018 and 2025 and their utilisation, as well as nominal rolls of both home-based and locally engaged staff.
“The Honourable Minister is expected to promptly convey the contents of this letter to all Heads of Missions,” part of the correspondence read.
A separate communication from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, dated July 3, 2025, and signed by the Director of Funds, disclosed that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had released a total of $54 million to support the operations of 103 embassies and high commissions in 2025.
From the amount, $46.14 million was set aside for overhead expenses, $9.58 million for personnel costs, while $282,829 was provided as additional overhead support.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Hon. Oke commended President Tinubu for the timely release of funds, describing it as a decisive step toward repositioning Nigeria’s diplomatic missions and enhancing the country’s image abroad. He also charged the minister and mission heads to present a transparent account of how the funds were deployed.
“We must acknowledge President Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening our foreign missions. This intervention will significantly improve Nigeria’s diplomatic presence and global reputation,” Oke said.
“We now expect the missions to brief parliament and, by extension, Nigerians, on how these funds were applied. Openness and accountability remain the foundation of effective governance,” he added.
A detailed breakdown of the allocations shows that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received $5.89 million. The Embassy in Moscow was allocated $1.96 million, while the one in Rome got $2.82 million. The missions in Vienna and Athens received $1.09 million and $1.04 million, respectively.
Other allocations include $1.8 million for Tel Aviv, $1.92 million for Addis Ababa, $1.48 million for the Consulate General in Jeddah, $1.26 million for Dubai, and $1.23 million for Madrid. The embassies in Tehran and Abu Dhabi received $1.18 million each, among others.
Hon. Oke stressed that the committee’s oversight work is not aimed at victimising anyone but is focused on ensuring that public resources are properly managed and serve the interest of Nigerians.
“Our job is to make governance deliver tangible results. This process is not about a witch-hunt, it’s about accountability and responsible stewardship of public funds,” he said.