The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has raised concerns over the poor budget allocation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying it is affecting the ministry’s work.
During the 2025 budget defense on Tuesday, Committee Chairman Rep. Oluwole Oke spoke out against the envelope budgeting system, saying it is not supported by Nigerian law. Oke also pointed out that the N286 million allocated to cover the costs of Nigeria’s 109 missions abroad is far too little.
He stressed that this amount is not enough to properly represent the country’s image globally. He also revealed that the ministry had asked for a N1.5 trillion budget based on its actual needs, but the amount proposed was much lower.
“We are concerned that the budget sent to the President does not reflect the true needs of the ministry and goes against the law,” Oke said.
The Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, responded by saying that the budget for foreign missions had been raised by 25% for 2025.
However, he recommended reducing the number of foreign missions to better match the country’s revenue capacity. Kurfi also called on the National Assembly to pass tax reform laws to help increase government revenue.
