News Release: Ndi Igbo In Mali Condemns Nigerian Ambassador’s Conducts

Igbo Title Holders

It is with embarrassment and shame that we members of Igbo Union Mali are writing this complaint against the Ambassador of Nigeria to Mali Mr Ilya Ali Duniya Nuhu for the disgraceful reception and show of shame accorded to His Excellency President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan during his visit to Mali for the official inauguration ceremony of the Malian newly elected President Mr I.B.Keita that attracted 26 heads of state including French President Francois Hollande, held on the 19th September 2013 in Bamako Mali.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it".  

On the 13th September 2013 Ambassador Nuhu called the Nigerian community heads to a meeting and informed them that a message came from the President Jonathan asking him to inform all Nigerian that him President Goodluck Jonathan will not want to see any Nigerian on his arrival at the Bamako Airport, Ambassador Nuhu instructed them to announce to their different communities that nobody should border to go to the Bamako airport to receive President Jonathan on his arrival or face the consequence.

This information was passed to all Nigerian communities causing every Nigerian resident in Mali to sit at their homes while other countries came out in vigour to welcome their presidents.

Our question is, does this information really come from our President Goodluck Jonathan? Does it mean that the president does not have any regard for the Five million Nigerians living in Mali? Is there a hidden agenda by Ambassador Nuhu to rubbish and belittle the number 1 citizen of Federal Republic of Nigeria or is it because Igbos are the majority of Nigerians resident in Mali and that the NIDO chairman is an Igbo man who was walked out from the red carpet by Ambassador Nuhu and his cohorts depriving his right as a NIDO President in Mali to welcome his President despite dressing himself with the national colour of green- white- green.

For those of us living here in Mali, This is not the first time the ambassador have openly told us that he was not sent to Mali for  we the  Nigerians living here, rather for the good relationship between Mali and Nigeria, We conclude that this particular incident have once again proven this point, 

Ambassador Nuhu has sworn a battle against Igbos and Igbo associations in Mali claiming that it was Ohanaeze Ndigbo that brought President Goodluck Jonathan to power and stole their Yar adua remaining northern mandate and regards them as a rebellious,separatist and pressure group,

He systematically excludes the Igbo groups and Associations in every activities of the Embassy from Independence day celebrations to visits of eminent Nigerians.

Some Nigerians who considered themselves as goodwill ambassadors of Nigeria who were able to go to the airport on their own to welcome Mr President saw a very buzzing airport with cultural troupes from every country that were expecting their President lined up outside and inside the airport waving their flags with pomp jubilation's, except Nigerians the giant of Africa who were nowhere to be seen and no flags flaying.

As a matter of fact some of the Embassy workers were also systematically excluded from the list of dignitaries to welcome the president, for openly challenging  the Ambassador’s decisions to make our presidents visit a funeral invent, 

We wondered if His Excellency President Goodluck Jonathan was an Hausa man will this show of shame have happened,

During the waiting for the arrival at the Presidential lounge Ambassador Nuhu was running like an errand boy asking the coffee servers whom to serve coffee or water with his cola nut on the corner of his lips while other Ambassadors respectfully seated on their chairs watching in disbelief if this is really what Nigeria can offer. 

Imagine the  Nigeria ambassador moving up and down the airport like an errand boy, chewing his kola nut ceaselessly as if his life depended on it while other ambassadors were calmly seated in the waiting room waiting for the arrival of their presidents,
On the Arrival of President Goodluck Jonathan at the tarmac immediately after French President Francois Hollande, Ambassador Nuhu was running all over the tarmac to make sure that no Nigerian was closer to the red carpet except the few Embassy officials systematically selected .

President Jonathan descended from the Nigerian Air Force 1 without any cheering as the tarmac was deserted remaining only the few Embassy workers on the red carpet. Some of the community leaders, who were able to make their way to the red carpet to give our president a befitting welcome including the NIDO president and the chairman of the Nigerians supporters club were asked to step out of the red carpet by Ambassador Nuhu who started folding the sleeves of his babariga ready for a physical fight in the presence of the cameras without shame, what and Ambassador of chaos. 

What President Jonathan experienced on his arrival is nothing to write home about as shame filled the faces of the members of his entourage who expected a warm welcome as were done to all 25 heads of state that visit Mali except for our own President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan 

It is very outrageous the statement by Ambassador Nuhu to fellow Nigerians that President Jonathan said that he will not want to see any Nigerian on his arrival at the airport.

We the law abiding citizens of Nigeria living here in Mali, want to draw the attention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to come to the rescue of Nigerians.

It is a reoccurring situation that Ambassador Nuhu who claims to be a born again Christian and a pastor behaves as a bully and has on many occasions challenged some of the Embassy staff to a physical combat.

Ambassador Nuhu is an egotistical human being who is milking dry Nigerian Embassy in Mali to sponsor his wife’s senatorial ambition in Nigerian causing him to be doing every bit of job at the Embassy from being the contractor to do some repair jobs at the Embassy including personally issuing the Embassy consular card which is the duty of the consular officers at the Embassy.
It is a shame that such a caliber of person be given such a responsibility and authority over Nigerians in Mali that have more than five million Nigerian residents according to the statistics of the Nigerian Embassy.

Ambassador Nuhu use the guards post at the entrance of the Embassy as his first meeting point to whoever visits the Embassy to determine whether the visitor is in his camp before allowing them gain access to the reception for consular matters which he will conduct by himself while the Embassy have two consular officers posted from Nigeria to do the job.

Ambassador Nuhu who is bent on frustrating legitimate Nigerian business men who are mostly Igbo spare part traders and fish merchants by stopping the issuance of certificate of non condemnation, Which is one of the requirements by the Malian Ministry of Commerce for Nigerians to fully register their company and business here in Mali asking them to go back to Nigeria to get this clearance, 

Ambassador Nuhu justifying his actions claims that all Nigerians especially Igbos living outside Nigeria are fraudsters, dupers and drug peddlers especially the Igbo whom he has met during his more than 25 years of working experience as a diplomat are fraudsters and drug peddlers irrespective of their position citing example of former Ambassador to the United States, Mr. George Obiozor who he claimed collaborated with another Igbo man Barrister Emeka Ugwuonye to sell properties worth millions of dollars belonging to Nigerian Embassy in United States of America while he was as a staff of the Nigerian Embassy in US.

These days, most of the Embassy workers are no more coming to work regularly because the oga at the top is doing every bit of job by himself from being the gateman to being the messenger.  

Nigerians in Mali are very disappointed that the Embassy is being run like a cartel; Nigerians in Mali expected that the Embassy is here because of them but Ambassador Nuhu has proven otherwise due to the fact that majority of Nigerians resident in Mali are Igbos whom the Ambassador have grudges against.

We Nigerians resident in Mali are asking for the quick intervention of The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru to come and save fellow Nigerians from a man who is bent on and has sworn to destroy Nigerians residing in Mali.

Signed:

Ikenna Umeh

For: Ndi Igbo In Mali