Buhari Set to Terminate Unessential Foreign Missions

 

Speaking after being briefed by Bulus Lolo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Muhammadu Buhari, has said on Tuesday in Abuja that his administration would undertake a review of Nigerian foreign missions to determine those that are really essential.

The President said a presidential committee would soon be established to carry out the review, adding that the review would determine the number of essential missions Nigeria needs to maintain abroad so that appropriate standards and quality can be maintained.

Nigeria currently has 119 foreign missions abroad, the permanent secretary said, and that the country will spend N34billion to run the missions in 2015.

The president said there was no point in Nigeria operating missions all over the world with dilapidated facilities and demoralized staff, when the need for some of the missions was questionable.

"Let’s keep only what we can manage. We can’t afford much for now. There’s no point in pretending," President Buhari told Mr. Lolo and other officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On the record of former government officials and other persons still using diplomatic and official passports illegally, the President said his administration will take necessary action against them.

"Something has to be done so that we can get back our respectability as a country. Some people carry official passports and get involved in all sorts of negative acts. We need to do something about it," Buhari said.