The Donald Trump administration could shut down nearly 30 United States embassies and consulates across the world, including some in Africa, as part of a his reforms to cut cost and reduce the country’s diplomatic foreign presence.

A CNN report on Wednesday, citing an internal US State Department document, states that the embassies in the Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Lesotho, and South Sudan are among those proposed for closure, the Punch had reported.

A US consulate in South Africa may also be shut down.

“The document recommends closing 10 embassies and 17 consulates. Many of the posts are in Europe and Africa, though they also include locations in Asia and the Caribbean.

These include embassies in Malta, Luxembourg, Lesotho, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.

According to the report,“The list also includes five consulates in France, two in Germany, two in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one in the United Kingdom, one in South Africa, and one in South Korea,”

The proposal is part of a broader effort by the Trump-led government, reportedly influenced by the Elon Musk-backed Department of Government Efficiency to drastically reduce the size and spending of federal agencies, including the State Department.

The internal document also suggests reducing the US presence in countries such as Somalia and Iraq, which have been central to America’s counterterrorism efforts.

There has been no official confirmation that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved the proposal, and a spokesperson for the department declined to comment on the leaked document.

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has expressed concerns that the progress of work has stalled on the Umuahia to Enugu section of the railway corridor.

The projects, he said, were scheduled for completion by the first quarter of last year but have remained stalled.

Otti raised the concern during a meeting with the new Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Kayode Opeifa, and the NRC team.

He expressed confidence that, under the new Managing Director, the trajectory of NRC work would bring the much-needed speed and quality to the railway projects across the nation, especially the South-East corridor.

Governor Otti, who described transportation as a key sector for economic development and national growth, reiterated his administration’s commitment to transforming the transport sector, which includes ongoing efforts to modernize the transport system in the state.

“The speed with which the other parts of the corridor were executed and the speed at which the execution is happening right now are different, but I am sure you’ll change the trajectory very soon,” Otti said.

On concerns raised about the security of NRC assets in Aba, Governor Otti assured that he would look into the issue and provide the necessary support, including logistics, emphasizing that his government does not discriminate between federal and state projects.

Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, Kayode Opeifa, disclosed that the meeting was to deepen discussions and plans on how best to revive the Aba-Umuaahia rail line, adding that their mandate is to ensure that all major cities in the South-East are connected to the national rail line.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency, not on the nation, but on what he describes as a “disastrous presidency.”

Lamenting the escalating insecurity across Nigeria, Atiku criticised President Tinubu for failing to return from his trip to France amid widespread violence and national unrest. He pointed to the renewed killings in Plateau and Benue States, as well as a resurgence of Boko Haram activity, accusing the president of gross negligence and dereliction of duty.

“By the time President Tinubu returns from his latest trip, he would have spent a staggering 59 days in France since assuming office,” Atiku said in a statement issued by his media aide, Paul Ibe.

“At a time when the country is bleeding, and citizens are living in fear, the president is abroad under the guise of a ‘working visit.’ If this announcement had come a day earlier, many Nigerians would have dismissed it as an April Fool’s joke. But this is no prank — it’s yet another insult to a nation in crisis.

Atiku criticized what he called the administration’s attempt to spin the trip as something other than medical tourism, questioning the president’s priorities and use of public funds.

“What kind of leader borrows billions only to squander scarce resources on vanity trips abroad? It’s not just irresponsible — it’s contemptuous,” he added.

The former presidential candidate also highlighted the dire situation on the ground: over 100 lives lost in Plateau, renewed bloodshed in Benue, Boko Haram reclaiming territory, and worsening poverty and insecurity across the country.

“This is no longer just poor leadership. It’s dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale,” he said. “A leader with empathy and patriotism would cut his trip short and return immediately. Governance is about showing up, especially in times of crisis.”

Atiku argued that the so-called “working visit” could easily have been conducted from Lagos — or even Iragbiji and accused Tinubu of abandoning his country while it teeters on the brink.

“Nigeria is in a full-blown state of emergency. Not the politically manufactured kind declared in Rivers State for partisan gain — this is a national collapse. So the real question is: when will Tinubu declare a state of emergency on his own disastrous presidency?”

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