70% of Nigeria’s foreign Missions Receive Zero Allocation of capital Budget, Lawmakers Reveals.

Njideka Ozoalor

The House of Representatives has lamented that over 70 percent of Nigeria’s Foreign Missions across the world have for several years received Zero allocation in their capital budget.

The House made this known after the adoption of recommendations of it’s Committee on Foreign Affairs report following it’s oversight visit to the Nigeria Consulate in Atlanta, and the Nigerian High Commission in Kingston, Jamaica.

The chairman of the Committee, Hon Yusuf Buba laid the report before the House at the plenary yesterday saying the Zero allocation in capital budget had let to infrastructural and structural decay in the Mission.

The House said. “From realities on ground, the delegation discovered that over 70 percent of our Foreign Missions across the world have for several years received Zero allocation in the Capital Budget year in year out . As a result of the above, this reality has led to infrastructural and structural decay in each of the the missions”.

The Lawmakers further the findings had created a situation where Foreign Service Officers prefer to rent houses than staying in the Mission owned property due to their dilapidated state.

The House stresses that finding was to needed to put the issue of renovation and Sundry works at almost all Missions abroad to rest.

It also decried the cases of indiscriminate postings above the approved ceiling of the president for Foreign Service Officers

It noted that this has led to over staffing e wasteage of resources that ought to have been used for the maintenance of other staff, the Mission buildings and general infrastructure.

The House lamented that shortage required by Nigerian in the Diapora had continued to be a major issue at our Missions.

It said: “The reality on ground indicates that the Nigerians Standard Passport and others are still being printed outside the shores of the country.

The delegation in it’s consideration, believes that the problem associated with shortages in required number of Passports for Nigerians abroad can adequately be mitigated by the termination of existing contracts for the printing abroad , while commencing production locally”.

The House said that the foreign would enable Nigeria as a nation Service the increasing need of it’s citizen, especially those abroad.

The Green Chember lamented lack of synergy among sister agencies including Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria immigration Service, National Intelligence Agency, Nigerian Military and Accountant from office of the Accountant General of the Federation at duty post.

It further decried the unhealthy rivalry among officers of these bodies / organization, who are serving at each of the embassies/ High Commissions abroad.

It added: ‘In spite of the fact that roles are seemingly defined, as per the nature of services offered citizens of Nigeria on other lands, The clashes that sometimes occurs appears likely to causes more serious problems than already seen;

“There was even a case where the delegation (Committee) was informed that the military attachee at the post left the Embassy building to rent office space elsewhere and, again , Where Immigration officers started to issue Visa without the vetting of the Mission’s Consular Officers (usually ,NIA officers)”

The Lawmakers noted that all these anomalies could be addressed by a serious definition of roles and the establishment of boundaries (or percents of duty) for officers at the post no matter what body , Agency or department they have come.

Specifically, The House said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must as a matter of urgency and for face- saving measures, lift the ban on the continuation of the construction project of the construction project of the Haiti model school.

It said it would ensure that investigation on the mismanagement of the funds continue, adding that the above has become necessary in the face of pressure being mounted by the international community on the Nigeria Mission in Kingstons and on other Nigerian authorities.

The House urged the Ministry of Aviation and other relevant bodies to promote the introduction of a direct flight from Nigeria to Jamaica to service all carribbean countries.