I feel frustrated when we can’t help Nigerians in trouble, laments Ambassador Soyombo

I have been here for about a week and interacting with the Nigerian community here in Cote D’Ivoire. What are the problems you have as Nigeria’s ambassador to the Cote d’Ivoire? Well, what I can say is the major problem that we have here is the non-availability of funds to do some of the things […]

I have been here for about a week and interacting with the Nigerian community here in Cote D’Ivoire. What are the problems you have as Nigeria’s ambassador to the Cote d’Ivoire?

Well, what I can say is the major problem that we have here is the non-availability of funds to do some of the things that we are supposed to do, especially consular work. As you may know, we have a very large population of Nigerians in this country. The numbers would be between half a million to one million and they are scattered all over the country, in the nooks and crannies of the country and this imposes a heavy consular burden on us as the embassy. There’s always need for us to attend to their problems particularly when they run foul of the law of the land, whether they are in jail or they are in some kind of problems or they have police cases or they become destitute and want to be repatriated back to Nigeria. It’s always very painful when you see some of these things and you are not able to do much due to lack of funds. But I must say that on our own, we’ve been trying our best. Despite some of the financial constraints, we do try as much as possible to look for money with which we repatriate those that need to be repatriated particularly with the assistance of the Nigerian community. The embassy, the executive and a few Nigerians who have been assisting us to render some consular assistance. But you feel bad when you see some of these things and you are unable to do something due to lack of funds. But we try our best under the circumstances. For instance, those of our nationals who are scattered all over the country, there’s need (at least particularly for those who are in jail), there’s need for us to visit them occasionally. We try to do that, but not as much as we would love to. So, I think that is a major challenge that we have. Another challenge I can say is the insufficiency of funds for the maintenance of our properties here. You’ve seen our chancery how big it is, it is quite good and befitting of Nigeria’s image and stature, particularly in the continent, but its almost 30 years old, and its become something that’s in need of regular maintenance from time to time but we have the constraints when it comes to that.

The business community told me here that Nigerians repatriate more money from here back home, that means that you should be given a pride of place when it comes to funds. But talking about prisons, how many Nigerians are in prison here?

I will not be able to give you the exact figure, but it should be in the neighbourhood of about 300 or thereabout. Actually it was last year that we did an exercise on that, we went round and obtained the numbers and since then, a few of them who are due for release have been released and a lot of pending cases have been determined. We made sure that those who were due for release and who expressed the determination to go home were assisted.

What crimes are they usually accused of?

You know, various kinds of crimes. A few of them have been involved in drug peddling problems, human trafficking, domestic violence; a few involved in robbery cases and things like that.

But, generally, what would you say about the behaviour of members of your community here?

Well, I would say that the Nigerian community here have been very very good. I commend them. When you compare the population of Nigerians here vis-à-vis the numbers of our nationals in prison here, you will see that the figures are rather very low, which means that basically, Nigerians here are behaving very well and I must really commend them for doing very well and being good ambassadors of Nigeria. The Nigerian community executive have been very active and we work very closely with them in the embassy and they are seeing to the welfare of the Nigerian community. They are assisting the Nigerian community a lot in enhancing the interest and welfare of our nationals in this country.

If you are going to give an advice to citizens under your watch, what would you say to them?

My advice to them as I always do when occasion demands is that they should continue to be law-abiding, be good ambassadors of Nigeria, to live at peace with their hosts and other foreign nationals in their midst and not to involve themselves in the local politics of the country.

If they follow that, things would improve?

Exactly, there’ll be no problems at all.

What about those who just jump in the next available vessel and come down? I’ve been told they’ve witnessed some level of harassment, especially those who do not have papers.

Well, you know…I don’t think that is much of a problem. When Nigerians come here and complain to us that they were either robbed at the borders or they have problems with the law enforcement agents, we try as much as possible to step in and see how we can assist them. We have quite a number of them who give us all kinds of stories…they’re on their way to Liberia or on their way Europe and thought that it is easier for them to come through here and they were robbed at the border, for those of them who want to go back, we put some money together, we hand them over to the Nigerian community and we arrange for their repatriation to Nigeria. For those who have been arrested by the police we send our consular officers to intervene on their behalf. We don’t really have much problems in that area.

Members of your community here are saying that they will want to have a consular section to issue them with passports, especially for those who are born here, never gone home but whose parents have never gone home. Is it something in the pipeline?

Yes, the embassy has always done that in the past. The problem of the inability of missions to issue passports was a recent one when the passports were changed and it took time for us to get the machines for the e-passport and so on. But recently, we got the machines. They’ve been issued to us but are yet to be installed and I’ve informed our people that hopefully, before the end of this year, we should be in a position to give them the passports and I’ve assured them that we are waiting for the technicians to come and install them. By the time that is done, hopefully, the passports would also be available and we’ve been able to do that in the past.

How would you describe the relationship between Nigeria and the Cote d’Ivoire?

The relationship between the two countries has been very excellent. Particularly at the bilateral level, we cooperate very closely; and also at the multi-lateral level, we are at ECOWAS, we have exchange of visits of our officials from time to time and the mere fact that a very large population of our citizens are here, is also indicative of the cordial relations existing between the two countries.

Do you speak French?

A little, not very well. Am still learning?

Does it impede on your ability to perform well?

No. No. Not at all.

You are Yoruba and I have been told that 80% percent of the people here is from your part of the country. Does that make the work difficult or easy?

Well,  I see all Nigerians here as Nigerians, really. I don’t think there’s any particular difficulty or easy thing in their being from any part of the country.

You see them as brothers and sisters?

Yes, I just see them as Nigerians and that we are here to serve. I’ve been to some other countries too where people have large number of Nigerians or people from my own part of the country and ehn, we just try to do our job as civil servants.

You said part of your relaxation schedule is to read books?

Yes.

What kind of books do you read?

Well, mostly, I read books that are related to my work. Diplomacy generally, and then am also interested in autobiography of great people, because I believe one can learn one or two things from their experiences and how they handled some matters in the past.

If you cast your mind back two three months, can you remember one that you’ve read that made a good impression?

(laughs) I just finished one by the former British ambassador to the United States, Christopher Meyers and I found it to be very fascinating to read his experiences particularly during the 9/11 and the special relations between the United States and the United Kingdom. I find it very interesting.

Somebody who hasn’t met you, when you introduce yourself, what does he need to know about you, early education, childhood, that kind of stuff?

Well, I’ll just say that my name is Olakunle Soyombo, I was born in Abeokuta in Ogun State and that was where I had my primary and secondary education, I attended the Abeokuta Grammar School and from there to the University of Lagos, read Sociology for my bachelor’s degree; later on went back for my Masters in International Law and Diplomacy. I joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July 1974 after the NYSC in Kano State and my first posting was to Brazil in 1977-1981 and since then, I’ve also served in Liberia, Somalia, Spain, United States and before I was posted here three years ago.

So, you are almost at the end of your tenure here?

Oh yes.

Are you looking forward to going back home?

(Enthusiastically) Oh yes. I am looking forward to going back home and looking forward to going into my retirement, and really thank God for giving me the grace to survive all these while and to be able to update my tenure as a civil servant and to serve in the past 35 years in the civil service. Am looking forward to that.

Liberia, United States, Spain, Brazil…which was the most difficult?

Well, I wont say…I don’t think one can say one was particularly difficult, I think I’ve tried to enjoy all the places. I really enjoyed working in those places, even when I was in a place like Somalia before the civil war, I was there for two years, Somalia then and even now is still classified as a harsh post, but ehn my family and I didn’t find it particularly to be difficult. We tried as much as possible to enjoy it and we did our work.

Of all those places, what I wanted to know if retirement was to be waived and they want to send you somewhere else, which of those places would it be?

No. I would leave it open. I would leave it open, by the nature of our training, upbringing and exposure in the civil service, for a person like me, I have no bias for any particular posting, I am ready to go and serve anywhere.

What gives you kicks? Some people its wine, for others, (sorry to say so) its women, others sports. What gives you kicks?

Well, I enjoy some of the things that I do. There’s no way, as a diplomat, by the time you spend some time in the diplomatic service, there’s no way you won’t do certain things, attend receptions you have to take some wine occasionally. I think the most important thing is to learn to do things in moderation. I enjoy going to receptions, the food, the snacks, the wine, reading I enjoy some of it.

I want to know what a typical day is like for you.

Well, I wake up in the morning, say my prayers, do some kind of meditation, get ready for work, do what I am supposed to do. If I have some outside engagements either during the office hours or after, I try to attend the ones that I can attend, and after that I retire back to the house and I do whatever I’m able to do.

You should have been able to tour Cote d’Ivoire. Which sites are the most interesting for you?

Generally, I found Cote d’ Ivoire to be a beautiful country with nice interesting places all over. Not far from here you have the Grande Bassam which is the former capital of Cote d’Ivoire, and of course the new capital Yamoussoukro with the Grande Basilica that is there; the presidential palace of the late president and San Pedro along the coast, quite some places.

And there are Nigerians in all those places?

There are Nigerians anywhere, everywhere in villages, even the remotest villages that you can think of, there are Nigerians and they are doing very well. They are well integrated into the society. They are contributing their own quota to the development of their host community.

Thank you very much sir for your time.

Merci beaucoup. Thank you, very much.