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From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Federal Government has paid the allowances and expenditures incurred by Nigerian envoys abroad.
This was even as the government said the October 31 deadline for the recall of Nigerian envoys was sacrosanct.
Controversy had trailed the September 2 recall of envoys over their inability to settle expenses incurred during their tour of duty.
The envoys recalled to the country by the government had hinged their inability to meet the deadline on the non-implementation of Authority to Incur Expenditures (AIEs).
The envoys, Daily Sun gathered, were pushing to have access to personnel funds and capital project funds which was not in line with due diligence.
But a source familiar with the issue, told Daily Sun that payment of the controversial AIEs began on October 24 and ended on October 25.
The source said: “The ambassadors were saying if they return to the country, their AIEs and allowances won’t be paid.
“All the ambassadors have been fully paid. Payment started on October 24 and ended on October 25. Some of them, I understand, have already bade farewell to their host country.”
Regarding the rumoured change in the date of the recall of the envoys, the government said there was no going back on the date.
Special Assistant, Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, in a statement, said: “This is not true as some of the envoys have either signalled their host governments of leaving or have left and returned to the country already.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recall still stands and all envoys are expected to be back in Nigeria by October 31 as earlier communicated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, acting on the directive of the president.
“This is a routine matter to recalibrate Nigeria’s foreign policy and international relations in line with the 4Ds (Democracy, Development, Demography and Diaspora) foreign policy strategy under the renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President.”
