RismadarVoice Reporters
January 12, 2026
The Federal Government has proposed over N41 billion in the 2026 budget for the renovation, furnishing, and equipping of 109 Nigerian foreign missions.
The proposed allocation is intended to cover 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 worldwide.
A breakdown of the budget shows that N374 million was earmarked for the Cairo mission; N380 million for Cotonou; N387 million for Freetown; N391 million each for Port of Spain and New York; N389 million for Ouagadougou and Nairobi; N383 million for Malabo; N386 million for Athens; N388 million for Abidjan; N436 million for Kingston; N384 million for Lome; N376 million for Beijing; N382 million for Bamako; N405 million for Lusaka; N513 million for Algiers; N568 million for Banjul; N379 million for London; N387 million for Johannesburg; and N385 million for Kuwait, among others.
The proposed allocation represents a reduction from the N53 billion approved for similar purposes in the 2025 budget.
Since assuming office in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu has embarked on a comprehensive reassessment of Nigeria’s foreign policy architecture, including the recall of 83 ambassadors in September 2023.
However, the redeployment of new envoys has been delayed, largely due to funding constraints. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has previously cited inadequate funding for embassy operations and ambassadorial take-off costs as a major challenge.
In December 2025, President Tinubu transmitted an expanded list of 64 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate to fill long-vacant diplomatic positions and reposition Nigeria’s foreign missions.
Those confirmed by the Senate include 34 career ambassadors and high commissioners and 30 non-career appointees.
Speaking at an end-of-year press conference, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the newly appointed ambassadors are expected to assume duty in 2026, a development aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing Nigeria’s global diplomatic engagement.
