IMPUNITY AND FOREIGN MISSIONS
Government should act quickly and protect the image of the nation
The impunity that characterises government agencies and parastatals is increasingly being replicated in many Nigerian foreign Missions. It is therefore no surprise that the Auditor General of the Federation’s latest report indicted some of them for extra-budgetary spending to the tune of N13 billion between 2010 and 2019. In addition, a separate memo addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) revealed sharp practices that led to the recovery of N370 million from two diplomatic missions.
The over 450-page audit report which is being investigated by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has alleged that many foreign missions rebuffed attempts by the auditors to look into their books while others refused to remit internally generated revenue into government coffers as provided for in the nation’s extant laws. Besides, the properties housing most of the Missions have fallen into disuse and have become a source of international embarrassment to Nigeria.
The report, for instance, cited the 22-storey Nigeria House in New York which also houses the Nigerian Consulate-General, the National Boundary Commission of Nigeria and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) as fast deteriorating and underutilised. The property, strategically located a few blocks to United Nations Headquarters, is crying for rehabilitation. At the embassy in Washington, D.C. properties owned by the government were reportedly sold and the proceeds used to open a “property account” which gradually disappeared.
Similarly, the Nigeria Embassy in Berlin incurred an average of €50,000.00 annually on utility bills, with additional N32 million spent to maintain the former ambassador’s residence in Bonn, Germany in 2014 and part of 2015. This is despite that the property has remained unoccupied since the embassy relocated to Berlin in 2001. What is even more embarrassing is that the consulate is deeply indebted to several creditors, some of whom have taken the office to court. At The Hague, Netherlands, the embassy is reportedly involved in contract splitting, an exercise which contravenes the Public Procurement Act. It engaged two contractors to repair the roof of one building and paid about €226,000 for the repairs, while another €66,730 was incurred on the renovation of six government properties. Curiously, all the payment vouchers did not have any supporting document such as Priced Bills of Quantities (BOQ), the list of the six properties that were renovated, the engagement letters to the contractors for the renovation, and others. The Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom is also highly indebted. In February 2020, the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Department disclosed that the High Commission owed over £7 million arising from 58,102 unpaid charges in 2018 alone.
For many years, Nigeria’s foreign missions have been characterised by poor funding, poor working conditions and crumbling infrastructure which help to dent our image abroad. The embassy in Brazil is a typical example where the landed properties in Brassilia have been left to rot. The embassy has resorted to spending hefty amount of $50,247.89 annually on rent for two of its staff.
To be sure, embassies are needed to maintain useful relationships with foreign governments and in smoothening the path for citizens and businesses in foreign markets. But poor funding has made it almost impossible to meet up with some diplomatic obligations. The sorry state of the foreign missions was graphically captured by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who, while meeting with the Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, deplored their poor funding, filthy environment, poor working conditions and deteriorating infrastructure.
As a way out of the problem the House of Representatives recently called on the federal government to allow each of the Missions abroad partake in the revenue generated from activities within, to enhance their work environment. We will add that some of the Missions, particularly those that are not viable, be shut down and the proceeds used to prop up the others. Government must act quickly and save the nation from global disgrace.
