A report by #OurVotesCount (OVC), an initiative of the National Association of Seadogs (NAS), has said that Nigerian embassies and consulates are in a sorry state and soiled by corruption.
The independently funded report on some selected Nigerian missions, titled, “State of Nigerian Embassies and Consulates, 2022,” was presented by a former Nigerian ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, at an event in Abuja on Saturday.
Part of the report stated, “Although not in high proportion as with the case in most public institutions at home, the research found that some Nigerian embassies and consulates are also soiled by corruption.
“There are reported cases of visitors being asked to pay non-official fees for services that should either come for free or cheaper.”
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The report also noted that Nigerian embassies and consulates are poorly funded, stressing that most of them are housed in unbefitting structures.
The report recommended the elimination of bureaucratic bottlenecks and delays that make it possible for corrupt tendencies, especially with regard to the imposition of extra charges for express services to thrive.
Daily Trust on Sunday was unable to get a reaction from the government as calls to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Franca Omayuli, were not picked up or returned. A message sent to her number was also not responded to.
Recently, the federal government, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, inaugurated a presidential committee to review the state of Nigerian diplomatic missions worldwide.
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