Nigerian Diplomats' Lavish Allowances Exposed: Ex-Ambassador Reveals N150Million Monthly, N216Million Ad-hoc Payments In U.S. Court Affidavit

Former Nigerian Ambassador Lilian Onoh has disclosed details of the income and allowances received by the African nation’s envoys to different countries.

In a sworn affidavit filed successful a U.S. national court, successful a lawsuit against Sahara Reporters Media Group, Inc., Sahara Reporters, Inc., and Omoyele Sowore (Civil Action No. 3:23-cv-02838-B), she revealed the extravagant allowances paid to Nigerian ambassadors.

Onoh, who antecedently served arsenic Nigeria’s Ambassador to Namibia and held assorted diplomatic posts including arsenic Head of Mission to Jamaica, broke down the net of an ambassador, utilizing the U.S. station arsenic an example.

She said the basal Foreign Service Allowance (FSA) for a Nigerian Ambassador successful the US is $8,502 monthly, on with a Domestic Servants’ Allowance of $11,200 for 4 unit members, each astatine $2,800 monthly.

Onoh explained that further monthly provisions see a Security Allowance of $9,000 for 3 guards, with each defender earning $3,000. She besides said specified an ambassador would person $500 successful Unaccountable Entertainment Allowance and $5,000 for household supplies and wide entertainment.

For travel, Onoh elaborate an allowance operation that see 7 days' question sum astatine a complaint of $900 per time positive a 30% proscription addition, totaling $8,190 monthly.

Onoh, who is presently seeking Permanent Legal Residency (Green Card) successful the United States, made the disclosures arsenic portion of her ongoing lawsuit against SaharaReporters.

She said, “The monthly income, allowances and provisions for a Nigerian Ambassador successful the USA are: Basic Foreign Service (FSA) $8,502.00 monthly; Domestic Servants’ Allowance @$2,800 per idiosyncratic x 4 unit =$11,200 per month; Security Allowance for 3 guards @ $3,000 per idiosyncratic = $9,000 monthly;

“Unaccountable Entertainment Allowance: $500 monthly; Household supplies and entertainment: $5,000 monthly; 7 days’ question allowance, including 30% for crushed proscription $900x7=$6,300+30%=$8,190 monthly; Personal Telephone Allowance for compartment phones, including planetary calls= $3,000 monthly;

“Utilities (including internet, cablegram and different entertainment) $3,000 monthly (estimate – determination is nary limit); Comprehensive Medical Insurance for self, household and each home unit $6,000 per period (estimate);

“Ground attraction allowance: $3,000 monthly; Accommodation with unit quarters: $15,000-$20,000 per period (estimate); Lease of 2 Mercedes 300 S-class + Comprehensive Insurance $5,000 monthly (estimate); Salary of 2 drivers @ $4,000 per period = $8,000 monthly. Thus the full monthly income, allowances and outgo to support a Nigerian Ambassador successful the USA is $90,392 (N155 cardinal astatine the existent complaint N1,710/$1) per month.”

She continued, “In addition, the pursuing advertisement hoc allowances would beryllium given: +US$9,000 covering allowance ($3,000 each 3 years); +US$25,200 28 days’ edifice and different allowances connected accomplishment astatine US$900 per day; +US4,000 (approximately) being Resettlement Allowance; US$87,939.05 (i.e. US$17,587.81 X 5) Return Business Class aerial tickets during permission granted each 2 years for question to Nigeria oregon immoderate state of my prime (United Kingdom) i.e. 5 tickets implicit 10 years, including accomplishment and departure tickets. Total advertisement hoc allowances: US$126,139.05 (approximately N216 cardinal astatine the existent complaint of N1,710/$1)”

“Grand total: $11,145,179.05, i.e. ($126,139.05 aerial tickets for 10 years) +$90,392.00 per period x 120 months (10 years) + $172,000 mislaid concern successful Enugu,” she added, claiming damages for a SaharaReporters’ study exposing corruption.

In a 102-page affidavit filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Ambassador Lilian Onoh alleged that a SaharaReporters’ study titled "Nigerian Civil Service Commission Sacks Former High Commissioner to Namibia, Lilian Onoh, Over N50 Million Misappropriation, Recommends Trial by ICPC," made her suffer diplomatic jobs hence the crushed to beryllium awarded damages.

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Onoh stated that she had intended to discontinue successful Nigeria but revised her program owed to the nonfiction and the information it could airs to her information should she return.

She explained that, for this reason, she present intends to stay permanently successful Texas.

Onoh claimed that her exertion for accommodation of presumption was accepted, and she was issued an Employment Authorization Document, allowing her to stay successful the United States until 2028.

She said she precocious completed the last signifier of submitting aesculapian records to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and was awaiting the issuance of her Green Card.

In her tribunal filing, the erstwhile ambassador revealed that she has started hiding her individuality and utilizing a pseudonym erstwhile gathering caller radical to forestall them from searching her sanction and uncovering the article. Even astatine her church, she has refrained from joining the choir owed to fearfulness of immoderate inheritance check.

"Onoh had expected to discontinue successful Nigeria and had enactment a status program successful motion, on with important investments successful that plan. She has mislaid a sizeable information of those invested funds, arsenic the concern for which they were intended tin lone beryllium conducted successful Enugu, her location authorities successful Nigeria,” she said.

She, however, requested compensatory damages of $10,847,040 for mislaid income, $172,000 for mislaid concern successful her status business, and $126,139.05 successful advertisement hoc allowances implicit 10 years.

Additionally, she requested a full of $11,145,170.05, positive $10 cardinal for intelligence anguish and symptom and suffering, $10 cardinal (or an magnitude the tribunal deems sufficient) successful punitive damages to punish the defendants and deter aboriginal misconduct, and tribunal costs to beryllium borne by the defendants, jointly and severally.

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