EXCLUSIVE: Nigerian Immigration Attachés Abroad Unpaid For Over 15 Months, Forced To Send Families Home; Reps Committee Queries NIS

SaharaReporters learnt that the affected officers, who handle visa processing, passport services and immigration-related documentation for Nigerians and foreign nationals, have been facing severe financial hardship.

Nigerian immigration attachés posted to diplomatic missions abroad have reportedly gone unpaid for more than 15 months.

Nigeria has over 100 missions and embassies abroad.

SaharaReporters learnt that the affected officers, who handle visa processing, passport services and immigration-related documentation for Nigerians and foreign nationals, have been facing severe financial hardship.

Some of them have reportedly been forced to send their families back to Nigeria as they struggle to cope with the prolonged non-payment of their official allocations.

The development has also drawn the attention of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, which confirmed the situation in an official communication to the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service.

In a letter dated February 12, 2026, and signed by the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Oluwole Oke, who represents Obokun/Oriade federal constituency, the lawmakers said their ongoing oversight visits to Nigerian missions abroad revealed that immigration attachés across several missions were being owed allocations covering the 2024 and 2025 budget periods.

The committee said the oversight exercise was conducted pursuant to its constitutional mandate to review the implementation and performance of the 2024 and 2025 budgets, and to prepare for consideration of the 2026 budget estimates.

According to the lawmakers, the non-payment of allocations, coupled with inadequate personnel in some missions, has negatively affected the performance and efficiency of Nigeria’s foreign missions.

“Immigration attachés across various missions are being owed allocations from 2024–2025,” the committee stated, noting that some missions also lack sufficient personnel to effectively carry out their responsibilities.

The committee warned that the situation was not only affecting operational efficiency but also damaging Nigeria’s international image and undermining the implementation of the country’s foreign policy objectives.

It consequently demanded that the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service provide clear explanations for the situation.

The Committee said in the letter, “In the course of these Oversight Visits, the Committee made the following observations - Immigration Attachés across various Missions are being owed allocations from 2024-2025; and some Missions lack personnel, while others have inadequate personnel;

“Based on our objective assessment, the above nuances is affecting the performance of the Missions, it is impacting on Nigeria's image and impacting on our Foreign Policy implementation.

“The Committee therefore demands clear reasons for the above situation, which should be submitted to the Committee on or before 23 February 2026 at 11:00 am, at Room, 4.32 House of Representatives Building, National Assembly Complex, New Wing, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.”

The lawmakers requested both hard and soft copies of the required documents and directed that they be submitted at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.

The Nigeria Immigration Service attachés play a critical role in supporting Nigerian missions abroad, facilitating travel documentation, assisting citizens in distress, and ensuring compliance with immigration protocols.

The prolonged delay in payments has raised concerns about the sustainability of consular services and the welfare of personnel representing Nigeria overseas.

Persistent Non-Payment Issues

Reports of unpaid allowances for Nigerian immigration attachés abroad are not new. As far back as 2025, officers complained of going without entitlements for up to 23 months, leaving them in dire financial straits.

Some even described being forced into “harsh survival conditions” and warned that the situation was tarnishing Nigeria’s image internationally.

For instance, in 2024, immigration officers posted to foreign missions revealed that their allowances dating back to December 2023 had not been paid on time. While some arrears were eventually settled months later, the prolonged delays severely disrupted their livelihoods and morale.

By mid-2025, officers serving in embassies and missions abroad lamented one year of unpaid allowances and publicly appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene.

They warned that the neglect was making Nigeria “a laughing stock” in the international community and undermining their ability to support their families while abroad.