By Terver Sar
President Tinubu says Nigeria has achieved its revenue goals ahead of schedule, but questions are mounting as embassies abroad battle unpaid rent and salaries.
Recently, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu told Nigerians that his government had already met its 2025 revenue target by August.
Speaking before members of The Buhari Organisation at the State House, he declared that the Country no longer needed to borrow from local banks to fund its expenditure.
“Today, I’m standing before you. I can brag that Nigeria is not borrowing a dime from local banks. The revenue target for the whole year, we met it in August. Non-oil revenue is going well. There is no fear,” Tinubu said in a video that quickly went viral.
It was meant to be a bold reassurance, signaling a new economic stability. But the reactions that followed show a country divided between cautious optimism and outright skepticism.
On X, a group called Africa Must Be Better backed the president: “The statement Tinubu made is correct. Nigeria has met its annual revenue target by August and is not currently borrowing from domestic banks. Economic outlook remains cautious. But despite this success, public debt levels remain high and may necessitate borrowing in the future.”
Not everyone agreed. Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, responded: “Having met our revenue target for the year ahead of schedule, we should show sensitivity to the suffering masses. Why are pensioners still protesting unpaid gratuities if government is truly buoyant?”
Opposition parties joined the chorus. The NNPP, ADC and others accused government of celebrating figures while citizens battle inflation, high food prices and rising unemployment.
Economists also poured cold water on the celebrations. While acknowledging the boost in non-oil revenues, they warned that Nigeria’s public debt remains above N100 trillion, and interest payments continue to consume a huge part of the budget.
Beyond that, analysts note that the Debt Management Office is still active in issuing bonds, which contradicts claims that borrowing has stopped. “Meeting revenue target is good, but it doesn’t automatically mean we are debt-free,” one Lagos-based economist explained.
Social media reactions were more blunt. “Revenue target is a figure on paper. Nigerians can’t eat statistics,” one user posted. Another wrote: “If things are so good, why are our embassies unable to pay rent?”
That question reflects another uncomfortable truth: Nigerian diplomatic missions abroad are struggling. Several embassies face unpaid rent, salary arrears, and debts to service providers.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it has been disbursing funds in tranches, prioritising rent and locally recruited staff salaries. But exchange rate fluctuations and policy changes have worsened the shortfalls.
Images have surfaced of Nigerian missions embarrassed by eviction threats. Diplomats privately complain that staff morale is low, while host countries quietly register their displeasure.
Reuben Abati, a journalist and analyst, pointed out the irony on Arise TV’s Morning Show: “We are told revenues are being met, but our embassies can’t pay rent. This is a credibility problem. Governance is about both numbers and delivery.”
Abati also questioned why Tinubu has yet to appoint ambassadors to many countries more than two years into his presidency. “Why pay rent for empty buildings with no ambassadors in them?” he asked.
For many Nigerians abroad, embassy struggles translate to poor consular services. Complaints about delays in passport processing, unresponsive staff and poor facilities have multiplied.
At home, critics say the situation proves that government priorities are misaligned. If embassies are broke while Aso Rock hosts endless delegations, what does that say about our budgeting?
The contradiction between the president’s revenue celebration and the embassy crisis highlights a larger governance challenge: how to match statistical achievements with lived realities.
Tinubu’s defenders argue that reforms take time and that revenues will gradually ease the burden on missions abroad. But patience is wearing thin among Nigerians who expect immediate relief.
For now, the president’s words remain a double-edged sword — a sign of hope for those who believe in his reforms, and a symbol of denial for those who see only hardship around them.
A journalist from Jos, Plateau sate, put it: “You can meet targets all you want, but until I can afford garri without breaking the bank, I won’t clap.”
Nigeria may have met its revenue goals on paper, but the struggle to keep embassies open and citizens secure shows the deeper truth: governance is not just about money collected, but money well managed.
