How Nigerian foreign missions frustrate investors, tourists





L-R: Hillary Clinton, Olugbega Ashiru and President Goodluck Jonathan



Nigerian Embassies abroad are not driving the Federal Government’s economic development policies as PAUL ARHEWE reports that the Missions are still operating archaic information system that makes them inaccessible and traumatise Nigerians in the Diaspora.

Nigeria’s quest to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and boost tourism revenue will remain mere sloganeering until Nigerian Embassies abroad upgrade their information system and make their Missions accessible.

National Mirror investigations have exposed the rot in Nigerian Missions abroad, especially the trauma Nigerians in the Diaspora and others willing to do businesses in the country face while trying to access the embassies.
The President Goodluck Jonathan administration has adopted economic diplomacy as part of its foreign policy thrust. To this end, the country’s embassies are seen as gateways for attracting investors and tourists to Nigeria.
But stakeholders have expressed concern that the objectives of the economic development diplomacy would not be realised because of the archaic information systems Nigerian missions abroad still operate, which make them not able to meet the yearnings and aspiration of Nigerians resident in such countries and also frustrate genuine investors and tourists from coming to Nigeria.

Even Nigerians in distress and in dire need of support are usually left to their fate because of lack of or insufficient information by the embassies.

Recently, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Olugbenga Ashiru, while signing the performance contract, initiated by President Jonathan with 10 ambassadors at the Nigerian High Commission in London tasked all the embassies to make their mission offices accessible to Nigerians and showcase Nigeria for global visibility.
“We want to make sure our embassies are now open to Nigerians abroad or those passing through,” the minister said.
Ashiru challenged them to deliver on the key performance indicators (KPI), saying they will be judged by their achievements.
The KPIs contain parameters which include protecting the interests of Nigerians abroad, promoting the country’s economic interest and enhancing its representation and visibility in international organisations.
The Minister also directed the envoys to send their staff to often visit Nigerians in prisons in their countries of posting.
Responding on behalf of the envoys, the Nigerian Ambassador to France, Akin Fayomi, on behalf of his colleagues said: “We will do our best to achieve the deliverables.”
Stakeholders, however say that not much has changed as many Nigerians and potential foreign investors are still passing through horrendous travails in accessing the country’s embassies abroad.

National Mirror made contact with 68 Nigerian Embassies, sending letters through their official listed email addresses sourced from the website of the Foreign Ministry, demanding to know what measures are being put in place to make their services accessible to Nigerians and other viable foreign investors.
Out of 68 embassies contacted, only six (Nigeria Embassy in Kuwait, Nigeria High Commission in Australia, Embassy of Nigeria in Ukraine, Nigeria Embassy in China, Nigeria Embassy in Portugal and Nigeria Embassy in Mali) acknowledged our mail, despite sending the mail twice; a week apart.
It was discovered that some of the embassies operate email addresses that are invalid and are still misleading the general public with wrong information. These addresses are still posted on their websites, forgetting that the sites are the major links with the public. Over 31 email addresses of the 68 embassies contacted are not operational. The sent emails were returned as ‘undelivered mail.’
This issue is even made worse, as the Foreign Ministry in its own website, http://www.mfa.gov.ng/, continues to harbour the misleading information, even having contact telephone numbers of the embassies that are not reachable. Even several emails sent to the Ministry on this issue were not replied.
Some of these nonoperational Nigerian embassies’ email addresses include: nigeria-hc.lusaka@zamnet.zm,info@ embassynigeriacs.org.ve,doualaconsulategeneral@yahoo. com, nhckingston@mail.infochan.com, ngembconakry@ yahoo.com,nigeriadamascus@yahoo.com,archives@ nigeria.rg.my,enquries@nigerianembassy.ie,consular@ nigeriahighcom.org,nigemb@jobantech.cd,ng@ nigeriahighcom.org,mission-nigeria@bluewin.ch, info@embassyofnigeriainspain.org,nigeria.embassy@ swipnet.se,nhcnam@mweb.com.na,nigeremb@canad. ro,office@nigeriahcindia.com,enigeria@ceniai.inf.cu, nhc-dsm@raha.com,nigeriabissau@rocketmails.com, dmoffice@ethionet.et,info@nigeria-consulate.org.hk, information@nigerianembassy.org.ar,empngrdprk@ yahoo.com,nhckingston@mail.infochan.com,admin@ nigerianembassy-brasilia.org.br,embnigeria@att.net. mx,info@nigeriainspain.org,ng@nigeriahighcom.org, highcommission@nigerian-singapore.org.sg,andinfo@ embnigeriabkk.com
National Mirror also found out that some of these Embassies don’t update information posted on their websites regularly as some of them still reflect events as old as those published in 2007 as their current updates.
For instance, the Nigerian Embassy in Argentina, in its website http://www.nigerianembassy.org.ar, in its news section still displayed the following, “Quoting from the inaugural address to the nation by President Umaru Yar’Adua at his swearing-in on the 29th May, 2007.” This same website is accommodated among those published in the Nigeria Foreign Ministry’s website.
Investigation also revealed that most of the telephone numbers on some of these websites are not reachable; some only receive voice mails, which are already full.
A frustrated Nigerian in the Diaspora, Isaac Izoya, said recently: “In my personal opinion, an embassy is supposed to be a place of refuge or a home away from home for those in the Diaspora. A place you can hope for rescue in case of any unforeseen circumstances – irrespective of one’s ethnic background. A house any citizen could call at any time for succour when encountering danger even on weekends. Could this be said of the present Nigeria Embassy in Berlin under the leadership of H.E Ambassador Abdu Usman Abubakar?”
Izoya used the Kenya Embassy as an example which he claims renders services to Kenyans at any giving time. “When anyone calls the embassy line on weekends or at midnight, after a while, the phone switches immediately to the emergency line where one will be attended to. But Nigeria that claims to be the power house of Africa, the case is always pathetic when it comes to rescuing Nigerians in despicable situation in Germany and many other parts of the world. Reaching the embassy staff on working days has always been a problem, not to talk of weekends. In a nutshell, don’t attempt calling the Nigerian Embassy when faced with difficult situation on weekends, you’ll only end up adding salt to your injury,” Izoya added.
Ola Abdul in London narrated similar experience. “My own personal experience at the Nigerian Consulate in London is that immediately you step in you feel you’re back in Nigeria even though you’re two minutes from Trafalgar Square. Customer service is poor and you feel embarrassed because of other foreign nationals in there with you watching how your own people are treating you,” Abdul said.
“The Nigerian society in general needs to learn the importance of customer service; the customer is king and should always be treated as such.” He concluded by saying, “However, recent changes seem to have improved the situation although I haven’t experienced it.”
Though there are diffculties accessing many Nigerian embassies abroad, some have established effective communication system. Information from some of these embassies are very positive and give insight into how they have built systems which are very accessible and responsive to the yearnings of both Nigerians and people of their host country willing to transact business with Nigeria.
For Nengak Gondyi, a Nigerian postgraduate student in Sweden, his experience with the Nigerian Embassy in Stockholm is positive and commendable.

“I have never visited or contacted any Nigerian Embassy abroad until August 2011 when I moved to Sweden to study and I decided to contact the Nigerian Embassy in Stockholm just to say hi. So I found their website and wrote them an email introducing myself and also completed a form they had online seeking to know citizens abroad.”
“Frankly I thought that would be the end of it until I got a call. A few days afterwards, the Ambassador, His Excellency Benedict Onochie Amobi called me to say they have received my email and he felt he should call to thank me, welcome me to Sweden and wish me the best in my studies. He then asked me about Malmo, the southern town I live in and how Nigerians here are faring and also promised to visit us someday soon. I will never forget that call.”
“If all Ambassadors are approachable and welcoming like Amobi then I am sure we are on the right track,” Gondyi said.
Ambassador Bashir Wali, Nigerian envoy to China, when contacted, told National Mirror that “the Nigerian Embassy in the People’s Republic of China has continued to carry out both its diplomatic and consular responsibilities very diligently and collaborates cordially on regular basis with our fellow men and women resident and/or visiting China.”
He said the Embassy not only collaborates with the students’ body and association of Nigerian community but also undertakes periodic consular visits to Nigerians in various Chinese prisons, extending moral and financial support (where necessary) to the inmates. “We equally facilitate and assist Nigerians seeking investment and/or other commercial partnerships in China and intervene where there exists any commercial dispute.
“The Embassy is always up and doing and therefore accessible to all Nigerians who either visit, phone or write the Embassy on any matter. Also, the Embassy is always on hand whenever it hears that a Nigerian is in any form of distress.”

Ambassador Wali also admonished the media to put in efforts towards educating Nigerians at home to be good Ambassadors while abroad and also the importance of collaborating with our various missions. He emphasised that the Embassies are not there for only Nigerians in distress.
Also, the Nigerian mission in Kuwait wrote National Mirror, saying the country’s Embassy opens five days a week from Sunday to Thursday from 9am – 3pm to attend to Nigerians on all days during the working week.
The Embassy said it also has a 24-hour Consular hotline for all Nigerians for after-work and weekend contacts.
“We also wish to state that there is no single Nigerian prisoner or detainee in Kuwait. The Embassy takes the welfare of Nigerians in the Gulf State as its topmost priority,” the Nigerian mission wrote.
Nigerian Ambassador to Portugal, Her Exellency (Mrs.) Ijeoma Bristol, who took over the saddle of leadership of the Mission in 2011, told National Mirror she had met with the Nigerian Community in Lisbon (Central) Porto (North) and Faro (South) on several occasions during consular visits to advice and listen to their complaints with the view to proffering solutions. “Nigerians in Portugal can testify that all cases brought to the attention of the Head of Mission are given immediate attention.
“The Mission adheres to the 48 hours directive of the Federal Government of Nigeria with regard to the issuance of Visas to qualified applicants,” she said.
The Ambassador also stressed that the existing vibrant Nigerian Community in Portugal cooperates and maintains close contact with the Embassy and through the Community, the Embassy is kept abreast of the issues relating to the general wellbeing of Nigerians in Lisbon and its environs.
“We wish to state categorically that the Mission is accessible to Nigerians in Portugal and that it provides prompt and efficient service to all who require same,” Bristol said.
Furthermore, the Nigeria High Commision in Australia, through its Media, Culture and Information Officer, Funsho Oluyide, said, “I don’t know about other Embassies but as for the Nigerian High Commission in Australia, we have an operating website, a Twitter account and even an interactive Facebook account for the general public to interact with us and also get necessary information.”
He added that the Chancery in Canberra is also accessible to Nigerians without exception.
Head of Chancery at the Nigerian Embassy in Ukraine, Ola Awe, told National Mirror that Nigerians in Ukraine have unfettered access to the Mission up to the closing hour of 5p.m.

“Also, consular service has been extended to 5.00 p.m. from the earlier time of 1.00 p.m. They are equally free to call officials of the Mission on phone anytime in the case of an emergency,” Awe disclosed.
Secretary to the Minister and Consular of Nigerian Embassy in Mali, Abraham Dakoru, said that Nigeria Mission in Bamako has its doors open to all Nigerians. “We have even created an office for Nigerians so as to be closer and hear their problems as well as their contributions and suggestions to improve upon the general welfare of all Nigerians living in Mali,” Dakouru said.

Stakeholders believe that while the task of updating and providing the general public with valid and current information on websites are being trivialised by some of the missions abroad, the Foreign Ministry is not giving good example to the Embassies since its own website is not usually updated.