The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied knowledge of the alleged backlog of salaries owed staff of the Nigerian Embassy in Switzerland.
Various government sources, who did not want their names published, said the workers have not been paid since January this year; adding that the development is linked to the alleged delay by the federal government in releasing funds to some ministries, including that Foreign Affairs.
A source in the Ministry of Labour also alleged that the ministry’s representative at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Peter Ajuzie, has not been able to secure funds since he arrived Abuja from Geneva in June.
However, when contacted, Mfa Ode, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he was not aware of the issue, adding that if there had been any problem in the mission abroad, it would have written the ministry.
“Your source cannot be our channel of communication; our source of information is our mission,” he said. “If there is any problem there, the mission will write us. Even the Head of the Mission can send a dispatch to the Honourable Minister on the issue. So far, I am hearing this for the first time.”
Also, the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of Labour, S. O. Olowookere, said he was not aware that Ajuzie has not been able to secure funds, since he arrived Abuja from Geneva in June.
“Thank God will have Freedom of Information Unit now in the ministry,” he said. “So, if you need any clarification on any issue, you can write the minister; just a two-paragraph letter will be enough and send a copy to my office, I am sure your request will be attended to. I am not the ministry’s accountant so I wouldn’t know if anyone has been paid or not. I am just an information officer posted from Ministry of Information.”