Non-Career Ambassadors Issues Press Statement On The Allegation Of lobbying To Extend Their Stay.
PRESS STATEMENT.
The attention of the Dean of Non-Career Ambassadors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been drawn to the publication credited to one Mr. Alkalis Abdulkarim Special Assistant to the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Tuggar, on Media and Communication published on the Nation Newspaper online edition of 26th October 2023.
In the publication, the author alleged that Non-Career Ambassadors are lobbying prominent personalities to extend their stay.
Ordinarily, we would have ignored the publication but for the obligation we owe Nigerians and our friends and partners in the international community to be properly informed and the fact that dignity and integrity, intelligence and accuracy, and sensibility in speech are required from occupants of the exalted office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Regrettably, these attributes are conspicuously absent in the publication above. Firstly, the starvation that the Missions and Embassies are going through for the Ministry’s failure to remitance their overhead allocation for five months is in the public domain. So where are the funds A source according to the author learnt that the alleged move to mop up funds in their embassies by the Ambassadors when it is also in the public domain that Ambassadors have resorted to using their savings to run the missions and embassies and services providers threatening court actions against Missions.
This Class of Ambassadors both Career and Non-Career has distinguished themselves, they are men and women of high integrity, as eloquently expressed by the erstwhile Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Geoffrey Onyeama, whom together we made some modest achievements.
Contrary to the claim of Mr Alkalis Abdulkarim that the Ministry has completed as of 24th October 2023 sending the money for Ambassadors’ passages to return home, that information is misleading as none of the Envoys has received such money as of today 30th October 2023.
I urge the Special Assistant to the Honourable Minister to please find out from his boss and report to the public: (1) whether or not he was consulted before the Ambassadors wrote him for the extension of date to 31st December 2023; (2) Whether or not he was in receipt of the letter to that effect dated September 8, 2023; (3) Whether or not he assured his erstwhile colleagues that he was going to present their request to Mr. President and; (4) whether he did present the request to His Excellency Mr President.
My Boss the Dean owes his colleagues who chose him an obligation not to sit down and watch their hard-earned reputation be dragged in the mud, and consequently, will in due course and not long, address the public as it is important to discharge these obligations for the overall well-being of the 4Ds foreign policy directions of the Renewed Hope mantra of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.
Iduma Chris Mayor
Special Assistant to the Dean None-Career Ambassadors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria