……It’s a disgrace to Nigeria, says retired ambassador
BY TEDDY NWANUNOBI, TONY UDOKA AND JENNIFER EZIMAKOR
Nigeria’s foreign missions are sliding deeper into crisis, with the latest embarrassment coming from South Africa where the country’s consulate in Johannesburg has been disconnected from electricity supply over unpaid bills.
The development, which briefly left the mission in darkness before a partial reconnection, underscores the deepening financial troubles plaguing Nigeria’s embassies worldwide, a crisis the New National Star exclusively reported on August 24, 2025.
At the time, insiders revealed that diplomatic staff had gone months without pay, missions were drowning in debts, and basic utilities were being cut off.
Yesterday, the Federal Government, for the first time, admitted to the problem. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Kimiebi Ebienfa, acknowledged that “financial limitations” had crippled embassy operations, leaving them unable to pay staff salaries, landlords, or contractors.
“The ministry is not unaware of the restrictions that financial limitations have placed on the smooth running of the missions, including the inability to pay salaries of locally recruited staff, financial obligations to service providers, rent to landlords, and the foreign service allowance to home-based officers,” Ebienfa said.
In Johannesburg, City Power authorities confirmed that the Nigerian consulate had been defaulting on bills since last year. Isaac Mangena, the utility’s spokesperson, disclosed that the consulate only secured reconnection after paying part of its debt and depositing R150,000. The total bill was over R400,000.
Former ambassador Joe Keshi, speaking on Channels Television, called the situation a “disgrace,” recalling that during a June visit to South Africa, “all our houses and buildings had light, but Nigeria House had none.”
The worsening state of missions abroad is being blamed on a combination of chronic underfunding and the leadership vacuum created by President Bola Tinubu’s July 2023 recall of 109 ambassadors without appointing replacements.
That move, as New National Star earlier reported, left embassies leaderless and unable to effectively lobby Abuja or negotiate with host governments.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has insisted the government is working on “a sustainable financial model” to keep missions afloat. But critics warn the rot has already damaged Nigeria’s image, with embassies cutting services, staff demoralised, and host nations losing patience.
For now, the crisis shows no signs of abating. The Johannesburg blackout may only be the latest in a string of humiliations unless the Federal Government urgently addresses the financial collapse threatening Nigeria’s diplomatic outposts.