The Nigerian High Commission in London, United Kingdom (UK), has accumulated £8.4 million in unpaid congestion charges.
According to a recent datasheet published by Transport for London (TfL), this amount reflects unpaid fees and fines accrued by diplomats from the launch of the congestion charge in 2003 until the end of last year.
TfL oversees various modes of transportation in London, including the tube, buses, trams, cars, bikes, and river services.
The congestion charge scheme imposes a £15 daily fee for driving within central London between 7 am and 6 pm on weekdays, and between noon and 6 pm on weekends and bank holidays.
“We and the UK Government are clear that the Congestion Charge is a charge for a service and not a tax. This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it. The majority of embassies in London do pay the charge, but there remains a stubborn minority who refuse to do so, despite our representations through diplomatic channels.
We will continue to pursue all unpaid Congestion Charge fees and related penalty charge notices and are pushing for the matter to be taken up at the International Court of Justice” the notice read in part.
Nigeria is not the only country on the list, with embassies of other countries like Poland, Kazakhstan, Germany, and many others. See the full list below:
| Embassy | Debt |
| American Embassy | £14,645,025 |
| Embassy of Japan | £10,073,988 |
| Office of the High Commissioner for India | £8,551,835 |
| High Commission for the Federal Republic of Nigeria | £8,395,055 |
| Embassy of the People’s Republic of China | £7,936,890 |
| Embassy of the Russian Federation | £5,998,095 |
| Embassy of the Republic of Poland | £5,267,770 |
| High Commission of the Republic of Ghana | £5,001,105 |
| Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan | £4,652,755 |
| Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany | £4,637,610 |
| The Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan | £3,941,600 |
| Kenya High Commission | £3,260,940 |
| High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | £3,129,060 |
| Embassy of the Republic of Korea | £2,636,320 |
| Embassy of France | £2,548,500 |
| Embassy of the Republic of Cuba | £2,466,240 |
| High Commission for the United Republic of Tanzania | £2,295,470 |
| Embassy of Spain | £2,194,440 |
| Embassy of Algeria | £2,191,230 |
| High Commission for the Republic of South Africa | £1,975,280 |
| Sierra Leone High Commission | £1,924,395 |
| Embassy of Romania | £1,868,260 |
| Embassy of Ukraine | £1,673,830 |
| Embassy of Greece | £1,665,450 |
| Turkish Embassy | £1,578,100 |
| Cyprus High Commission | £1,435,080 |
