Nigeria is among countries owing its annual dues to the cash strapped United Nations (UN), despite occupying the Deputy Secretary-General position.
Two Nigerians are among the organisation’s most high-ranking officials including UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and the current president of the United Nations General Assembly, Tijjani Bande whose yearlong tenure runs till September 2020.
According to a report by theafricareport, Nigeria is yet to pay up its assigned annual contributions for the past 10 months while Zimbabwe and war-torn Syria are two of the 129 of the UN’s 193-member states that have paid their 2019 dues as of October 7. This amounts to $1.99 billion, equivalent to 70 percent of the total assessment for the year, with a balance of $1.3 billion still needed to offset expenses.
In a statement issued by Stephane Dujarric posted on the organisation’s website, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, admitted that the body might not be able to pay staff salaries next month if member states do not pay up.