Nigeria: Ibrahim Gambari caught in the arrogance of indispensability

A distinguished ambassador

The appointment of Ambassador Ibrahim Agboola Gambari as the Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari is one of particular interest. On the matter of the appointment, he is eminently qualified and that is by the way. [Wikipedia]

I probably got a bit more acquainted with the man as a friend of mine who I met in the early 1990s was a classmate of his at the London School of Economics in the 1960s. Interestingly, this was also during the time when my father was in the UK reading accountancy.

Of my parents’ generation

My parents who are within a 5-year age range of the ambassador have had interesting and commendable careers in their different professions, my father in rose to various C-suite positions before shipping out to retirement. My mother went into education and was appointed a pioneering principal to a school that is now over 40 years in existence.

The old students’ body returns to the school to contribute to buildings, facilities and equipment, every time inviting their old principal who has been a pillar in her school community since she first took that position, in retirement, she is by no means forgotten, she is the constant guest of honour at those events and recently one class arranged a fully paid pilgrimage to Israel as thanks for her service and leadership.

My mother went on to head other schools, but the affinity the old students have towards her is unstinting and full of gratitude. I usually say to her, she has many children and for those relationships we, her blood children, are exceedingly proud.

On the side of my father, the people he has supported, mentored, tutored, advised, promoted, and recommended are innumerable, he is a community person to his bones. Many have gone one to forge enviably successful careers, he did his bit and moved on. They can still call on him for advice and guidance, but he has left the stage for the generally active life of an octogenarian in his village.

An abject failure of leadership

Now, at 75, Ambassador Gambari does have utility and usefulness, that is why he has been called upon to serve Nigeria again. However, he could have gone one better, he has had a reputable academic career and a distinguished diplomatic career, along the way he has taught and mentored people, he was recommended and brought into the diplomatic corps by others who recognised his potential, this of all times might have been one to pay it forward. [This Day – Another Testimonial on Gambari]

From his network of proteges, when the President made that phone call, it could not have been beyond the capability of the ambassador to thank the president quite gracefully, decline the opportunity and actively recommend probably two or three proteges for the role, vouching for their bona fides, qualifications, and expertise whilst giving assurances that for whatever difficulties they might encounter, he would be available to help.

Again, this is not to pull up the ambassador, but we need to address the matter of Nigerians who have been in positions of influence and in the corridors of power for up the four decades and somehow cannot find ways to call time on their service to allow others succeed them in generational capacity building that a country like Nigeria with a majority youthful population needs to launch into the future.

A gerontocracy, I observe

One could be forgiven for thinking Nigeria is hardly a democracy and closer to a gerontocracy, there are times I have wondered it is not caught in the grip of an unconscionable kakistocracy. Leaders of a certain generation marooned in the time warp of an era of bad history, fossilised somewhere in a distant past reluctant, unwilling, and impervious to considerations of the 21^st Century.

Fundamentally, they are disconnected from their electorate and have failed in the basic test of leadership, which is the ability to raise other leaders to carry on their legacy. In countries around Africa, many leaders have overstayed their welcome, they have arrogated to themselves omnipotence and omniscience to the point of delusion believing no one else of their fellow countrymen can do those jobs or even do better. They think themselves indispensable and irreplaceable by anyone else.

The arrogance of indispensability is an affliction and an addiction, I hate to think the ambassador has succumbed to this unfortunate ailment.

Nigeria: So, the US Envoy spoke Pidgin English? Big Deal!

Ambassador 101

Maybe we should sometimes wonder about what is expected of ambassadors. They are accredited representatives of their country to another country where normally they would live and interact with officials and people of that country.

Obviously, they should be expert diplomats in such a way that they should attempt to magnify the amity between countries whilst diminishing tensions between them, promoting understanding and friendships too.

There are many other roles of the ambassador, in explaining the policy of their countries clearly, being the chief executive of the consulate and its services for their fellow citizens abroad and host citizens who need to gain knowledge in many ways about the country the ambassador is from.

Soft skills of diplomacy - language

The ability to communicate is key, this is in the sophisticated use of language as well as in many cases they would be multilingual or dare I say polyglots. To expect them to speak the language of the court is probably not too much, if they speak the lingua franca, that is a matter of appreciated skill.

Enter, Ambassador James F. Entwistle, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria who has in his diplomatic career represented his country in Malaysia, Central African Republic, Thailand, Cambodia, Kenya, Cambodia, Cameroon, Niger, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now Nigeria.

Pidgin English everywhere

Impressive and interesting, many of these places are former British colonies where English would have been spoken or a corruption of English known as Pidgin English of which there are many and the Nigerian Pidgin English now considered English-based creole language belongs to the broader group of West African Pidgin English languages.

If the producers at WaZoBia FM in Lagos had done very basic research on their guest, the Ambassador, they should have not been too surprised that given his wealth of experience in the subcontinent, he would have been quite able to connect a lot better than they expected.

In answering questions related to Nigerian democracy and US relations with Nigeria, he spoke quite fluently in Nigerian Pidgin English to which what he had to say was deafened by uncontrolled applause as the narrative that followed deviated from everything else he had to say. [PM News]

Noise obscures poise

Besides the commentary on the BBC, the management of WaZoBia FM should deign to conduct an orderly house with disciplined staff who can exercise a modicum of self-control and professionalism when pleasantly surprised. [BBC Audio]

The Ambassador indeed should be commended for effort and ability whilst at the same time we should not at the slightest titillation become a garrulous rabble in a circus act.

Much as we would have loved to listen to the recording of that interview, the sensational has gotten in the way of the substance of the meeting and that is rather unfortunate.

So, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria spoke Pidgin English? Big Deal! What did he say?

Nigeria: Our way about things

Reviewing old events

I found myself in a phone call yesterday evening that developed into a post-mortem of an event I attended the weekend before.

One had castigated the arrangements and organisation of the event but this was now a time to offer excuses for failings in the hope that the focus would be taken off those that were clearly responsible for the atrocious circumstances we found ourselves in.

Time and again, we find ourselves short-changed by our leadership, the people selected to represent us and the others they choose to surround themselves with.

Business as usual

Patronage, nepotism and familiarity offers a sense of comfort in lieu of efficiency and competence, the result of which the parties end up in a situation where they cannot challenge each other to do better and achieve any level of excellence.

Good money can be paid to get professionals to do a job but the scent of money amongst a cabal of sycophants in the sight of power leaves charlatans pretending to ability and after the debacle they are never in fear of being made accountable having pocketed a tidy sum for doing the barest minimum.

When mothers speak

But like every educated middle-class Nigerian mother might have once said to their kids, their approval of other company usually ranges from – “Too good for my liking.” to “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are.”

In both cases, those statements were never ones of approval but they rarely get to the point where they proscribe the relationships but the point is clearly made.

It is with regret also that our official representative having excelled academically still has the village and marketplace atmosphere re-enacted with stomach-churning nostalgia in the northern European climes of The Netherlands.

Maintaining the poor impressions

There is no clamber to improve rather the selfsame narrative is reaffirmed leaving many disappointed but then in the mood of a party the subjective jollity might just distract from objective scrutiny.

Culpability of the dastardly organisation lies with those at the top and to think a religious leader was involved in the arrangements but made a complete hash of the event – you can only begin to imagine the chaos that accompanies the matins and the congregants in fervent supplication.

We deserve better

Did the conversation end with the put-down that should not be repeated? Something along the lines of by translation – A village girl who just happens to have a PhD – good breeding and the penchant for understanding the consequence of wrong delegation and assignment of duties does not come with the accumulation of letters.

When it comes to these people, “of whom little is expected much less is desired.” Nigeria deserves a lot better than this, she surely does.

Nigeria: Our Golden Jubilee celebrations in Holland

There’s a party to attend

It was for the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Nigeria’s independence in the Netherlands that I thought for once in the 20 years I have been in Europe, I would seek out a Nigerian event and attend.

The programme for the event appeared as a Facebook status message, a graphic with alternating green and white backgrounds and text as a homage to the flag of Nigeria.

It is impossible to clearly identify how the Nigerian Embassy in the Netherlands gets news of events out to Nigerians resident in Nigeria but from this notice it is fair to say no lessons have been learnt from criticisms given years before about publishing such notices.

Facebook triumphs

A five day programme of events commencing Wednesday the 6^th of October 2010 was published on Monday the 4^th of October 2010 on the Nigerian Embassy Facebook page and there was no indication of these events on the now much-maligned official website [1] of the embassy.

Maybe when it comes to these events, there are people in the know with the town-crier penchant for information dissemination and using the modern modes of communication and advertisement is for those of us who are to fill the halls for attendance rather than for recognition of our Nigerian affinity.

Therefore, the business forum events of Wednesday and Thursday might well have been attended by those in cahoots with others in cahoots with them who swarm the premises of the embassy which I am made to believe is no better than a raucous marketplace at the best of times.

Though on closer inspection the embassy seems to do much more on Facebook than its official website, if you are not on Facebook, you are not in the loop. It makes you wonder if social networking with its restricted access is the smarter way of information dissemination when the public web presence is the one the most visitors will encounter when searching or information about the embassy. This is begging for a new IT and publicity strategy.

Over here and over there

The Friday Muslim Juma’at service would have catered for those of that persuasion just as the Sunday service would have for the Christians; for a country with at least 10% animist following and a greater percentage of those who dabble in multi-faith allegiances for immediate safety and eternal judgement, no allowances were made for that middle ground of Nigerian heritage.

Saturday was programmed as a full day of events; a novelty football match between Nigeria and its more credible rival Ghana in Amsterdam; and then in Rijswijk a suburb of The Hague - an arts and trade exhibition, a lecture and cocktail and a gala night.

We arrived at the venue thinking we were late for a well organised event when at the entrance we were being offered wrist bands for Nigeria or for supporting the candidacy of the President for the 2011 elections – surely, even if the becoming an ambassador is a political appointment, open politicking under your watch giving partisan advantage to people is definitely not on.

We refused the wrist bands and were immediately accused of lacking patriotism, to which I retorted, our patriotism was already evident in our gracing the poorly announced event.

We were then asked to sign an attendee’s register and I could not help but noticing that there were probably over 150 people there for the event and I was just about 20^th on that register.

Farts and tirades

What passed for arts and trade when we eventually cottoned on what they were would not have helped promote either tourism or trade in Nigeria; for the 1^st time observer, they would have been none the wiser about what any of the statues, material or pictures meant.

In fact, there was nothing indicating what trade Nigeria might be involved in, I dare say, people who have walked the corridors of the embassy might just have recalled seeing those statues before – a nation of 150 million with 400 ethnic groups and centuries of tradition and culture could be better represented with an “Ibeji”, a Benin Bronze, a Nok culture terracotta pottery piece that I believe the Dutch will be familiar with just walking up an exotic antiques street anywhere in the Netherlands.

Die of thirst lowly ones

On arrival we each got a drink but as the day wore on and the programme was running late without any sign of the dignitaries, we could no more sate our thirst as bossy officials stepped up to bar the stewards from serving any drinks to anyone but the distinguished guests of the high table who had not yet arrived and no allowance was made to purchase drinks if needed, certain guests got desperate almost to no avail, thirty and hungry without any idea of if they will survive the night.

About an hour into the scheduling, the ambassador appeared but proceedings did not start for another 30 minutes and when they did start, no one had the courtesy to announce that the national anthems of Nigeria and The Netherlands were to be played, we were well into the first before everyone realised the need to stand up.

Scratch that speech

The compere with his suit fully buttoned up, that is all buttons made no apologies for the late start of the events and the ambassador was introduced twice with all her extraordinary and plenipotentiary titles before she came to the podium where the sounds system dared to spare us for a while – she holds a PhD in something but I suppose her welcome speech was to appeal to the common man in the language of the lowest common denominator

It is the only excuse I could give for the lack of rigour or erudition in the speech which ended in the same admonition I rebuked her for [2] when she was appointed ambassador in 2008. If the ambassador cannot find herself apparently honest, trustworthy, law-abiding Nigerians to engage with that to trot out this tripe; that is unfortunate.

Tell me about this tribal frolic

The glossy programme pamphlet had this whole event set for the venue of the Town Hall in the Hague, but this venue was in Rijswijk; as the order of the programme was dispensed for a hotchpotch of activities with dancers from Edo State coming on stage and squealing down the microphone everyone clueless of the words and intent until at the end we were told these songs were for the Oba of Benin.

I remember visiting opera houses in the Netherlands and where the performance is in another language you either have a narrator and/or sub-titles to describe what is going on – this performance could have well been in a hamlet with the women pounding the brown earth welcoming the bwana in their midst.

The cacophony continued for 30 minutes before the keynote speaker was introduced, that was we thought as the person we thought was the professor rambled on for another 10 minutes before the professor was then called to the podium.

Not the texture of a lecture

I was expecting a lecture, the man sitting in front of me had his head in his hand with a feeling of utter despair if not embarrassment, and only a comforting hand on his shoulder brought a smile to his face.

This professor of some sort of policy failed to acquit himself well, it was not a lecture but a polemic of rehashed clichés about Nigeria, I found no original thought or exercise of productive reasoning but a throw-back to vocal affirmation typical of Nigerian Pentecostal circles, dripping with religiosity and lacking in the rigour expected of a supposed senior academic – I had to ask if the speaker was really a professor.

It might well be that he is not that much of a public speaker but is much better at his day job, however, we much genuflect to people with academic titles and applaud twice more even if we have learnt nothing new from his lecture which the ambassador commended as having ideas that she can convey to the president another holder of a PhD who is begin to fail to exhibit the class, demeanour and conduct expected of those in high office with his bungling of the bomb attacks in Abuja on the 1^st of October.

Breaking rumours for facts

At that point, I had had enough of this atrocious charade, though as people began to sink their teeth into the food and the expectation of jollity, every need to objectively review events to that point would have been lost.

The programme suggested a popular musician (9ice) would be in town, performing in The Hague, but no one was sure if he had even managed to get a visa to visit the Netherlands and perform.

The rumour mill was in full tilt and no one had a story that had a sense of veracity, eventually, 9ice appeared at a venue in Amsterdam where the patrons were fleeced anything from 25 Euros onwards to listen to him.

I have no clue who 9ice is, but if anything was evident from the events of yesterday, the sense of organisation is still lacking even though the jumble would end up a qualified success and one is not encouraged to waste time at any of these events if one could help it.

Suffering like a Nigerian

As I walked to Rijswijk Station, a young man, travel weary and confused asked for directions to the Nigerian event, for 2 hours he had wandered looking for this venue having first gone to the originally publicised venue in The Hague and there is every probability that there was no notice put up there to indicate the change of venue.

Poor chap! But then, how can you be Nigerian and not have to suffer the gross incompetence of fellow Nigerians? I wonder.

Sources

[1] Akin: Nigeria: One look at our Dutch website - Ewww!

[2] Frankly, Madam Ambassador, I am not impressed [akin.blog-city.com]

Cordially invited, my regrets [akin.blog-city.com]

Nigeria: The "success" of the Jeddah delegation

The search party

The Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) risks a state of myopic closed-mindedness having first spearheaded the consideration that the President be declared missing on medical grounds and search party be instituted to ascertain his whereabouts.

The Federal House of Representatives instituted a “search party” of sorts to seek out the President comprised of members of the House rather than some special composition prescribed by HURIWA.

All but one of the selected members were able to make the journey to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the one being an unmarried lady would have been disqualified for visa requirements to Saudi Arabia even if she had presented her diplomatic passport rather than her Nigerian passport, but that was beside the point.

The host of delegates and President

The team arrived in Jeddah and would have by reasons of protocol been guests of the most senior Nigerian official in Saudi Arabia, that being the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

The Ambassador would also have been the recognised host of the Nigerian President by our standards of protocol just as the President would have been a guest of the Saudi Arabian government by reason of his visiting the country in his capacity as the Nigerian President with the purported aim of opening a university in Saudi Arabia when he made his journey in November 2009.

As representatives of the Nigerian legislature visiting Saudi Arabia, the Ambassador would have known the main purpose of that entourage, to have at most an audience with the President of Nigeria or at least an observation of the President.

Inability to facilitate

For the first three days of that visit, the Ambassador who politically, legally and technically was host to the Nigerian President and the delegation from the House of Representatives could not facilitate an audience, an observation, a conversation or contact by all seemingly possible means with the Nigerian President.

As the reports go, the Ambassador tried to distract the delegation from their tasks by offering better accommodation, religious perks and tourist attractions which the delegation ably declined so as not be to distracted from their purpose and be compromised on their mission – that might call for some commendation.

Juliet not Jezebel

In any case, they eventually met with the First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua who from all indications was forlorn but hopeful, distressed but prayerful and so very aware of the condition of her husband.

The condition we can safely say could not be observed by persons who were not close family, by deduction one might surmise and aver that the President was in no condition to be seen for an audience or basic observation and probably in intensive care of some sort.

It is even possible that the President might not even be in the condition to see his wife, recognise her and consequently converse coherently with her – the picture painted of the situation reveals a lady who is a Juliet rather than a Jezebel – this is no woman scheming to retain the trappings of power and influence, I would suggest this lady just wants her Romeo back, alive, strong, able and responsive.

Those opportunists

The unfortunate thing is the faceless mandarins pulling the levers of power were already aware of her preoccupation with the health of her husband but conveniently co-opted her name and supposed influence to mask their conspiratorial Machiavellian activities.

It cannot be safely said those people were rooting for President Yar’Adua by any stretch of the imagination, but as long as they could keep us all in limbo about the state of the President they could pretend to have the eyes, ears and blessing of the President and his wife to run roughshod over the Nigerian Constitution and the Nigerian people.

A useful visit

That delegation by not being able to see the President through lawfully constituted provisions of assignment, protocol and purpose proved that the President not being available to meet under every possible circumstance was probably too incapacitated for himself, talk less of the office he had so far held.

For that reason, I do not believe that meeting was a wasteful and fruitless journey as HURIWA clamours. Regardless of the developments that have since ensued, the deduction HURIWA should have made should have been closer to recognising these circumstances rather than raising an unnecessary ruse which in my view leaves them open to myopic closed-mindedness as I said in my introduction.

God bless Nigeria

Until President Yar’Adua can be presented for observation, conversation and audience in contemporary settings as I suggested in my blog of January the twelfth Nigeria: Put Yar’Adua on screen today! – he is just incapable of appearing in public, he is also incapable of his public and his inability to be a public figure for what other unstated reasons means he is currently unable to be President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We still genuinely wish him a speedy and full recovery, but the ship of state cannot be permanently moored in foreign docks, there are stormy seas to traverse with essential cargo for the purpose of building the motherland – Nigeria needs to move on.

God save the President, but more so, God bless Nigeria with capable leaders.

General Sources

(1) SaharaReporters – HURIWA asks Speaker Dimeji Bankole to refund Saudi trip’s expenses

(2) SaharaReporters – House delegation returns empty-handed: Yar'Adua very sick, isolated and abandoned in Jeddah

(3) 234Next – Lawmakers to account for failed mission

(4) Akin.blog-city.com - Nigeria: Put Yar’Adua on screen today!

Nigeria: A very welcome reprieve

Ambassadors at work

I am pleased to write this blog today as news reaches me that 29 condemned Nigerians [1] in Thailand and Afghanistan have been reprieved.

In this vein, I must congratulate the Nigerian official representations in those countries for the laudable activity in compassionate diplomacy that is beginning to give value, concern and dignity to the lives of Nigerians with a burden of criminality.

This development is heartening because it begins to show the world that we would not allow Nigerians to be sacrificed as severe punishment fodder and consequently the scapegoats for deterrence to other nationalities.

Every Nigerian must have a right to life regardless of where they are and what offence they might have committed - every attempt must be made to ensure that Nigerian rights are protected, defended and respected in both a judicial sense and to some extent in a show of humanitarian compassion where legal process has been exhausted.

Commuted to serve at home

Just over a month ago, 2 Nigerians were executed for trafficking heroin and it appeared not enough had been done to ensure that they were not poster advertisements to commemorate [2] the UN anti-Drugs Day 2008.

In having had these sentences commuted, they would all be deported to Nigeria where they are supposed to serve out their sentences.

I cannot say that the conditions in Nigerian prisons would be better than those of the countries in which they committed their crimes, but being alive and not under the sentence of a possibly gruesome death is probably the beginning of rehabilitation.

There is however much more to do in this matter, countries like Indonesia [3], Singapore [4] and Saudi Arabia [5] butcher our countrymen like cattle within their at times questionable judicial systems, there must be an end to this.

The dangers of irregular migration

I am quite interested in the root cause analysis that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in embarking on which is to highlight the dangers of irregular migration [6] which leads to avoidable deaths [7] in the treacherous waters that separate Africa from Europe.

Obviously, people who embark on such escapades have the compelling impression that there is a better life and a world of opportunities in the lands they seek to reach.

The causes of irregular migration

This means that the work of the government, business leaders and political representation must be geared to make Nigeria a viable place to keep its human resources and talent such that those dreamy faraway places where money appears to fall off trees becomes less attractive to adventurous sojourns.

The other issue is the hedonistic tendency to the ostentatious display of wealth as a confirmation of status in society; there is no doubt that this practice is primitive and uncouth – it sets the worst examples of aspiration amongst the youth in conditions and communities that desperately eke out an existence in dire situations.

Curtailing the inducements

Whilst one cannot legislate against hedonism, we need to work towards ensuring that anyone who intends to put up a show of wealth must also have clearly audited and legal sources of the same; failing which, all that wealth should be confiscated and put to use within the communities they intend to show off to.

In any case, the reprieve is the greater news of this blog, but the fact is, if we are to persuade more countries not to shoot up more Nigerians for whatever crimes; taking capital punishment off our law books would be a good start for negotiations.

Sources

[1] The Punch: 29 condemned Nigerians in Thailand, Afghanistan get reprieve

[2] BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Nigerians executed in Indonesia

[3] allAfrica.com: Sourced from Daily Champion - Nigeria: 70 Citizens Await Execution in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia

[4] BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Singapore executes drug smugglers

[5] Five Pakistanis, Nigerian executed in Saudi - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[6] allAfrica.com: Sourced from ThisDayOnline.com - Nigeria: 29 Condemned in Thailand, Afghanistan Get Reprieve

[7] theage.com.au: Illegal immigrants targeting Italy - Breaking News - World - Breaking News

Cordially invited, my regrets

My weekends are mine

As we deliberated on getting a project through its critical stages to full deployment, a director suggested we would have to work 24 hours and weekends if necessary to meet our milestones.

I quickly interjected, that he could not demand my weekends at will, rather, he owed everyone the courtesy of ascertaining we were free for the weekend rather than assuming our lives were wedded to the job for the satisfaction of unrealistic project goals borne from bad project management.

Many faces went red, the daring challenge coming from a contractor-consultant left a few quivering as he answered back that I was employed for my time.

My time, is set for a week in hours, if you want more, you apply for more and if I have nothing planned, you will have that time. However, if I have something planned for my weekend and you think you can request my presence for a weekend on Thursday afternoon, well, my plans would not shift.

Some people have seen my attitude as uncooperative, with the shoe on the other foot, I see that attitude as a lack of consideration and blatantly disrespectful – anyway, the message was understood and courtesies came into the request for the presence of anyone in the team after then.

To put it another way, no boss is too big to be humane, considerate and courteous, no job pays enough to forfeit the commune that ensures your well-being and quality time with those that matter - if you are falling short of these issues, you desperately need a realignment of priorities, Pretty Damn Quick!

Such lessons do need to be taught to many more people who plan meetings without proper consideration for those being invited to their meetings.

The majesty of excellency

Only this afternoon (Thursday), my mailbox was slightly burdened with a cordial invitation for a meeting taking place on Saturday afternoon, with the gentle request to be punctual. The cheek! I would always be punctual if offered the opportunity of early communication. I don't do African time.

Obviously, I had to give the invitation a second look after being engaged in conversation with a very interested party, but that is all it got, a second look and nothing more.

Before, I close the matter, I would say in Europe we have clear agendas and planning which requires good publicity, good communication and managed feedback – all of which were lacking in this cordial invite.

If you want guests at a weekday evening meeting, consider giving at least a week’s notice, if you want to take a weekend evening, probably two or three weeks minimum allows for people to keep their agenda free.

That is not to say some people would not attend, especially if they are in the privileged presence of excellency which is not far off from majesty, but being a respecter of persons (tongue in cheek), I hope the message is crystal clear to those concerned.

My sincere regrets, Ma'am, but thanks for thinking about it, maybe some other time.

Nigeria: Diaspora in vision dispersal

A blog-inspired meeting

This morning had my phone ringing for a conversation with an auspicious lady of Nigerian heritage who is involved in a number of critical development projects focusing on the monitoring metrics necessary to make institutions viable and productive in their communities.

This chance telephone conversation came about as a result of a blog I wrote last week expressing displeasure in some comments made by the new Nigerian ambassador to the Netherlands.

Nigerians in Diaspora

Though I have never been engaged in Nigerian community activities in Europe and I know many Nigerians who shy away from such forums, it was interesting to learn that an organisation exists as a collective for all Nigerians called Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE).

I could well believe the need for such an organisation but I am worried that whilst there is this thrust for getting involved in development projects far out at home in Nigeria, I have not seen much in terms of their profile for issues that affect Nigerians right here at home in Europe itself.

Fighting wars at home

The prominent ones that come to mind are the murder of Osamuyia Aikpitanhi who in the desperation for the Spanish immigration authorities to deport an illegal immigrant restrained him like an animal and literally snuffed the life out of the young man in June 2007.

More recently, a whole group of Nigerians were seriously maltreated by British Airways in the UK as they protested against the actions causing serious distress during the process of trying to deport another illegal immigrant.

I cannot believe we have an organisation as this which with its reputation and clout could be the organ of justice and empowerment but end up with individuals as activists for better rights for Nigerians in Europe.

Too grand for little things

I have seen grand statements, grandiloquent publications and the angling for unconcealed one-upmanship in papers that postulate to Utopian aspirations in Nigeria.

For all the vision and objectives [Source - NIDOE] of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in Europe, one critical part is missing – there is no way we can confidently harness the pool of talent in Diaspora for Nigeria if we have not worked well to ensure that the welfare or rights of Nigerians abroad amongst us are assured and intimated strongly to our ambassadorial representatives.

This is not to say the esteemed company of the board of trustees that consists of personalities with more letters of renown than to pave a street with gold are not involved in already worthwhile causes wherever they are, but maybe it would be contemptible to handle such lowly distractions.

Charity begins at home, here

All Nigerians would be aware of the saying, Charity begins at home, and the truth for Nigerians in Diaspora is that the home is not in Nigeria but out here in Diaspora.

All Nigerians, including those who belong to the less salubrious context of illegal immigrants can only have a voice when organised forums like NIDOE leverage their knowledge, expertise, wealth and abilities to first, their local community of Nigerians which would help them have the necessary track record to promote the quest for making a difference in Nigeria.

A need for a focus that transcends the lofty aspirations to Nigeria to handling socio-economic issues of the talent pool that surrounds us here is not too much to ask for.

Rottenly inferior homepages

In the end, I am sometimes surprised as I look at the homepages of the Nigerian Embassy in the Netherlands, NIDOE and many others of Nigerian provenance – another blog topic – how very little artistic ability is applied to aesthetic look of the public access websites – Why do we continue to accept such crap?

I am no web designer, but I know when I have been to a good web site, these are appallingly amateurish and should have the designers and approvers certifiable to say the least.

Indonesia: Two heroin smuggling Nigerians killed

For the want of wholesome ambassadors

The plight of Nigerians abroad is brought into stark relief when those of us who flout the laws of foreign countries are caught to face the full weight of the law.

In the light of my last blog about the introductory remarks made by the new ambassador to the Netherlands, one can almost sympathise with her perspective of Nigerians having a tendency to be less than scrupulous with our business dealings.

However, to subscribe to that view would be defeatist whilst robbing us all of the ability to seek redress for miscarriages of justice or clemency for conviction.

Shot at dawn for drugs

This morning, two Nigerians were shot by firing squad in Indonesian for trying to smuggle heroin into the country [Source- BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Nigerians executed in Indonesia].

They had been on death row since 2004 and somehow, one cannot say that if every avenue for clemency and mitigation was exhausted before they met their end.

There are many that might be persuaded to be ultra-conservative about drug-smugglers and assent to such a draconian punishment for those who bring the name of Nigeria into disrepute.

That does not however mean that our diplomatic representation in those countries should consider should these criminals beyond rehabilitation, redemption or without any prospect.

Obviously, being able to carry out the death penalty on people whose government cares little of their citizens abroad is a picture postcard deterrent to others, probably foreigners than indigenes.

Countries that fight for life

When I then juxtapose this against that of the three Australians who have been through the exhaustive process of appealing every conviction till their sentences were commuted to life in prison [Source - BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Bali three win execution appeal] – I am touched by the thought of a country that fights for the life and if possible, the liberty of their citizens anywhere in the world.

The Nigerians who were much older than the Australians only had 7kg of heroin; the lucky Australians had 8.3kg – it makes you wonder if regardless of the laws of the host nations our ambassadors have the wherewithal to exercise a sense of compassion and appeal to the humanity of the law to obtain clemency or commutations on behalf of the citizens they represent.

For now, I am not inspired by what I have seen done to Nigerians in Britain, Spain or Saudi Arabia and I am quite sorry about this state of affairs.

One aspect that can strengthen our resolve against the death penalty anywhere else in the world is to repeal that punishment from our statute books entirely. [Source - Capital punishment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Frankly, Madam Ambassador, I am not impressed

Belittled and patronised

You probably would not be able to get the thickness of a hair strand into ascertaining the difference between being belittled and being patronised.

I cannot say that the Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands has allowed herself the best start in representing us in the Netherlands, but I would not dwell on those matters that have come to my hearing.

The doctor’s dodgy medicine

Dr Nimota Nihinola Akanbi recognises her brief by committing to strengthen the relationship between the Netherlands and Nigeria and that is all well and good, whilst trying to divert the gaze from Shell’s activities she touted the statistic that 27 Dutch companies are fully operating in Nigeria.

Even I did not know that.

Then she called on Nigerians [Source - allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Envoy Pledges Cordial Relations With Netherlands] in the Netherlands to be law-abiding in their legitimate business and avoid acts capable of bringing disrepute to their home country as she presented her credentials [Source - The Embassy of Nigeria : News – The website needs a seriously radical professional and artistic overhaul].

Well, Madam, I take serious exception to the impression that Nigerians might fail to be law-abiding, be involved in illegitimate businesses and be involved in acts capable of bringing disrepute to Nigeria.

We do a lot more good than bad

Indeed, there might be a few black sheep that have been involved in illegal and criminal acts; they surely cannot be in the majority – I would contend that most Nigerians or those with Nigerian lineage are engaged in perfectly lawful business, we are productive and valuable members within the Dutch society - we should clearly be recognised as such.

We have been here for quite a while in many cases doing a lot to repair the damage done to the reputation of Nigerians, building positive alliances and displaying exemplary conduct that it is the just utterly condescending to read such statements from our honourable ambassador.

We are ambassadors too

I would have her know that Nigerians all, abroad, are already reluctant but able ambassadors of Nigeria without having the need for some figurehead apparatchik denigrate our existence with insensitive commentary.

The lady would do well to explore the possibility of meeting Nigerians from all areas of the country that are well into the work of ambassadorship that she has just assumed rather than pandering to clichés and unfounded generalisations.

Frankly, Madam Ambassador, I am not impressed, not one bit.