Tuggar: Paucity of funds delaying appointment of ambassadors

Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, says the delay in appointing ambassadors to serve in foreign missions by the federal government is due to a lack of funds.

Tuggar spoke on Tuesday at the ministerial briefing to mark President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office.

Last September, Tinubu directed the recall of all career and non-career ambassadors serving in different countries.

While the president has appointed consuls-general and chargés d’affaires, there has been no mention of when the successors of the recalled ambassadors will assume office.

Tuggar said the present administration inherited a federal ministry of foreign affairs that was not funded as it should be.

“We met a situation where foreign affairs was not being funded the way it should be. And secondly, there were loopholes being exploited by the likes of binance,” the minister said.

“There is no point in sending ambassadors if we don’t have the funds to even travel to their missions. To run the embassies effectively and judiciously, we need funds.

“Part of the problem is the situation that the new administration came and inherited. Of course, you know, President Tinubu focused on removing fuel subsidy.

“The whole idea was for us to stop subsidising consumption and start subsidising production.

“At the same time, the government faced other challenges. Even as the economic reforms were taking shape, we were beginning to see the impacts and then came the likes of Binance and crypto, which started undermining the gains. So we have a problem with our currency.”

The minister said Tinubu is aware of the situation and is working to ensure that the ambassadors are appointed soonest.