AS A FRIEND OF NIGERIA LEAVES FOR HARARE
When then new Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria and ECOWAS Mr. Georg Steiner was received by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari at State House late last year, many references were made to Swiss Government assistance to Nigeria on security and return of stolen funds. Whenever the word ‘security’ was mentioned, the NTA Network News camera would […]
When then new Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria and ECOWAS Mr. Georg Steiner was received by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari at State House late last year, many references were made to Swiss Government assistance to Nigeria on security and return of stolen funds. Whenever the word ‘security’ was mentioned, the NTA Network News camera would pan on a particular blond, young-looking official on the Swiss delegation. A colleague with me asked who the person was that was attracting NTA’s attention so.
It was Pascal Holliger, Senior Political Adviser at the Embassy of Switzerland to Nigeria and ECOWAS from 2012 to July 2019, when his tour of duty ended with his posting to Harare, Zimbabwe. Pascal was responsible for Switzerland’s peace policy and human security program in Nigeria, which involved peace mediation, dialogue facilitation, prevention of violent extremism, DDR and Dealing with the Past processes, support to electoral processes, human rights and rule of law. He also worked with ECOWAS on regional peace and security matters, and also oversaw Switzerland’s peace policy program in Chad for two years. Pascal was, for those who knew him closely, an embodiment of hard work.
I met Pascal a few years ago in Minna at a workshop facilitated by Da’wah Institute of Nigeria (DIN), whose Director Nuru Lemu is a mutual friend and associate in the global Peace-Building and Conflict-Resolution ‘movement’. But even before I met Pascal, his reputation as an effective diplomat had preceded him. Many of the interventions the Swiss Embassy facilitated for Nigeria through Pascal may not be stated in detail here because of security concerns and the Swiss style of discreetness, but suffice it to say Pascal was a great friend of Nigeria for the years he was here.
In his own words, Pascal says: “My experience in Nigeria has been intense, compelling yet immensely rewarding, both from a professional and from a personal perspective. Nigeria is lively, unpredictable, occasionally defies logic and has an exhilarating ‘anything can happen, anytime’ feel to it. However, I am very aware that despite my best efforts to get off the beaten track, I have only really experienced Nigeria from my privileged and protected diplomatic vantage point. Nonetheless, I really connected well with Nigerians in particular. In fact, the Pidgin accent I picked up would even often lead people whom I would have on the phone for the first time to believe I was Nigerian. I felt completely at ease, and it has definitely been a major learning experience for me on so many levels.
“Nigeria today is an edifying place of paradoxes, a melting pot of complexities, a land of immeasurable challenges, 350 nations in one country, and a reputation that precedes it, even if unfairly more often than not. It would take more space than is available here to debate or analyse the political, security, and socio-economic dynamics of Nigeria and there are many more competent minds than mine to do so. What I have consistently tried to avoid is to pass judgement because the historical, cultural, and sociological fabrics of Nigeria are so diverse and complex. As they say, if you want to eat an elephant, you have to chew it bit by bit.
“My most challenging moments have probably been to come to terms with the suffering of the common Nigerian. In a land of such wealth, I don’t know how a family can live on N18,000 a month, and that is for those ‘lucky’ enough to have a job. The tragedies and pain of recurrent conflicts and killings, for example (but not only) in the North-East which I have come to know quite well due to my work, are quite overwhelming. Yet in the midst of the dehumanisation resulting from the violence affecting too many parts of Nigeria, I have seen how people hustle their way through and go about their business with an energy, hope and faith barely seen elsewhere.
“There are many memories that will stick with me. Nigeria has had a profound impact on me as a person and as a professional. I have been inspired by all those working tirelessly to make a positive contribution to nation-building, beyond the lines of division to build a solid foundational future for the country. There are no small ways to do so and every effort is worthy, as are the commitment and sacrifices of those who believe in a united, democratic, and peaceful Nigeria. It can be, among others, the person who has lost everything due to conflict and still tries to cater for those more needy than him, the tennis coach who nurtures young talents, the senior government official who serves beyond partisan interests, or the former leader of a non-state armed group who has become an embodiment of peace.
“Nigeria’s extremes also feed my memories: when you expect Nigeria to be quiet, it is at its loudest. When you anticipate vigorous protest, there’s peace and quiet. When you think the landscape is dusty and bleak, from the haze emerge rocks the size of mountains, and it becomes instantly, breathtakingly, sublime. Between these extremes – fantastic wealth and crippling poverty, beautiful yet repellent, triumph and tragedy, order and chaos – are the vast majority of ‘hustling Nigerians’ whose dignity, tolerance, energy, and humor are cause for great hope, that even in the most trying of times, things might not fall apart.
“My sincere wish – and I say this with all sense of respect – is that Nigeria will be able to bridge the gap between those who rule and those who are ruled, and between the extraordinary quality of its individual citizens and a system that at times fails to deliver on Nigerians’ expectations. My hope is that the young generation will champion a Nigeria proud of its diversity, and will be nurtured to produce leaders who can unite beyond the lines of division that were historically created, and which certain sectoral interests may today wish to entertain.”
At Pascal’s farewell reception and the Swiss National Day celebration recently, Swiss Ambassador Steiner said Pascal has been an ambassador for Nigeria as much as he had been one for Switzerland. It is Pascal’s hope that he be remembered as both for Switzerland and for Nigeria, as he promises he will continue to be an advocate of Nigeria wherever he goes.
Pascal wanted to visit Yankari Game Reserve, but couldn’t. This week he is game-hunting in Botswana (in lieu of Yankari?) before resumption in Harare.
So, Pascal: greetings to you from Chibok and Dapchi and Madagali, and all Nigeria.