Face your job or resign, FG tells ambassadors Apparently not happy with the manner various diplomatic missions serving in the country flout rules guiding diplomatic engagement globally, the Federal Government on Friday in Abuja summoned all serving ambassadors in Nigeria, reading riot act to them to strictly face their diplomatic activities or leave from the country. Also, foreigners, who engage in crude oil theft, would no longer be spared as the Nigerian government has directed the Navy and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to take adequate measures against any ship caught engaging in unwholesome activities. Nigeria is said to be losing 400,000 barrels of oil at N7.35billion daily to the activities of criminals in the oil sector. Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, handed the warnings while briefing the heads of mission in the country, saying that “government will not hesitate to identify and deal with erring missions which fail to respect Nigeria’s sensitivities and sovereignty.” “There are activities being done by ambassadors which are not within the term of their mission. For instance, here in Nigeria, human rights groups are very strong and vocal which is good for democracy because these are the institutions that will sustain democracy for us. And we also know that foreign missions have been supporting those human rights groups in funding, etc. It is okay. But we object when ambassadors conduct activities that are incompatible with their status. If any ambassador wants to now join the human rights groups, he may as well resign the office to join the human rights groups, but you cannot use the diplomatic passport of being an envoy to engage in this,” he stated. Ashiru stressed: “This will be incompatible with their status as ambassadors. But those activities, some of our ambassadors here are doing it and I wonder at times whether they have passed through the necessary training; I wonder if they have passed through the training because the Vienna Convention as I have said, states clearly the activities that are incompatible with your functions as a diplomatic agent, as an envoy. “Therefore ambassadors should please confine themselves to their traditional duties. If you feel strongly about any issue and you come to the foreign office, I will receive you. No ambassador will say he wants to see me and I will refuse to see him. So when there are things you want to take up with government, you come directly to the foreign office. But for you to go to the media and start talking is incompatible with the status of your office and you all know this,” he warned. On oil theft, he said that gone were the days when ships and crew were released after pleas from foreign missions. Source : #DailyIndependent
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 18:30:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015