The Federal Government has proposed over N41bn in the 2026 budget for the renovation, furnishing, and equipping of 109 Nigerian foreign missions, findings by The PUNCH on Thursday revealed.

The proposed allocation covers the rehabilitation of chanceries, ambassadors’ residences, and staff quarters, as well as the procurement of office furniture and official vehicles across Nigeria’s diplomatic missions.

Breakdowns of the proposal show that N374m was earmarked for the Cairo mission; N380m for Cotonou; N387m for Freetown; N391m each for Port of Spain and New York; N389m for Ouagadougou and Nairobi; N383m for Malabo; N386m for Athens; N388m for Abidjan; N436m for Kingston; N384m for Lome; N376m for Beijing; N382m for Bamako; N405m for Lusaka; N513m for Algiers; N568m for Banjul; N379m for London; N387m for Johannesburg; and N385m for Kuwait, among others.

The proposed allocation represents a reduction from the N53bn approved for similar purposes in the 2025 budget.

Since assuming office in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu has undertaken a reassessment of Nigeria’s foreign policy, including the recall of 83 ambassadors in September 2023.

However, the deployment of new envoys has been delayed, largely due to funding constraints. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, had cited inadequate funds for embassy operations and ambassadorial take-off costs as a major challenge.

In December 2025, Tinubu forwarded an expanded list of 64 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate to fill long-vacant diplomatic posts and reposition Nigeria’s foreign missions.

Those confirmed by the Senate include 34 career ambassadors and high commissioners and 30 non-career appointees.

Speaking during an end-of-year press conference, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the newly appointed ambassadors would assume duty in 2026, a move expected to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance Nigeria’s global diplomatic engagement. (The PUNCH)

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