Nigeria’s dwindling fortune in foreign missions abroad

In the same vein, like every diplomat who knows his onions, the most important task and responsibility in a Foreign Mission is to represent and project the utmost interest of one’s country’s image to his host country of accreditation. It is the duty of the diplomat to implement the foreign policies of his or her […]

In the same vein, like every diplomat who knows his onions, the most important task and responsibility in a Foreign Mission is to represent and project the utmost interest of one’s country’s image to his host country of accreditation. It is the duty of the diplomat to implement the foreign policies of his or her home country in line with the vision of the administration of the nation he is representing.

In recent times, stakeholders in Nigeria’s international relations and diplomacy have been critical of the dwindling fortunes of its foreign policies, especially in the last decade. Coupled with sundry other political and administrative factors, Nigeria’s international image deficits are unbearably gargantuan and have continued to erode on each passing day with the quality of its representation by its actors abroad. That is why a critical assessment of implementation of Nigerian’s foreign policies through its Mission abroad unwittingly created leakages and unexplored advantages valued in billions of dollars.

However, our’s is a country where hypocrisy, mediocrity, arrogance and godfatherism strives and flourishes like rain forest grass. The retrogressive agents and actors try to muzzle the truth against public knowledge and opinion.

It is unfortunate that this has become the hallmark of the present administration. People in relevant authorities sit tight on information and issues of urgent national importance like demons, shield men and women of honest disposition and patriotic zeal from President Goodluck Jonathan because they want him and his administration to fall.

For any patriotic Nigerian ambassador or high commissioner working for the interest of the country abroad, the current situation in the country, especially the critical security sector and the paradoxical economic performance whose Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is higher than all other countries in the world but does not reflect the hard economic reality on the ground, calls for sober reflection.

Several of Nigeria’s Foreign Missions are not doing well. Most of them are not living up to expectations. But sadly, those who should know and respond accordingly chose to look the other way so that Nigeria’s international image will continue to suffer ridicule in international arena.

Between the Career and Political Ambassadors who are serving the nation abroad, there are growing but suppressed concerns that Nigeria’s national interest are being blatantly abused. The activities of some of these people do not only violate international diplomatic practice, they also bring disgrace to the international image and reputation of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and this requires urgent review for Nigeria to catch up with other nation states.

There is a compelling need to critically review the performance of our diplomats, especially the political ambassadors in our Foreign Missions with a view to review their performance and to possibly overhaul them.

It has been consistently argued over the years that for effective policy implementation, professional and in-depth understanding of the highly important diplomatic business, career diplomats should be preferred over and above political ambassadors which is suffused in mediocrity and colonised by retrogressive forces. These forces are only working for their pockets and families, while the Nigerian government, over the years, has continued to play politics with out foreign mission and international policies. That argument is still relevant today.

It is sad that, instead of looking at our national interest first, the Federal Government of Nigeria keeps dishing out ambassadorial appointments to politicians as a political reward system to those who may have contributed during electioneering campaigns to aid political parties that won elections for the government in power.

The political Ambassadors in Nigeria Foreign Missions who have not creditably done well should be withdrawn or recalled immediately.  These article calls for a critical review of the policy of the appointment of Nigeria political ambassadors who are to serve Nigeria abroad.

Traditionally, each time there is a change of government, or a new president is being sworn-in for a fresh tenure, all the political ambassadors in our Foreign Missions are recalled. That signifies the end of his or her ambassadorial tenure. The reason for this is to review new direction of national foreign policies in line with a new focus of the new administration. But this is not done in Nigeria.

However, the present crop of Nigerian Ambassadors serving before president Jonathan came in to power are still holding forth in our various missions as anointed messengers of bad omen for the country. They were not recalled. Most unfortunate, these political appointees are business men and women who do not bother about Nigeria’s interest and image abroad.

Most of them do not know their jobs as the civil servants under them are the ones doing the jobs while they engage in their corrupt and wasteful expedition with their wives, children and numerous girl friends. They frustrate the hard working career diplomats serving under them through wicked and deliberate denial of due privileges and rights.

It sears the heart to find that the present crop of ambassadors and few of the career diplomats are the most corrupt in the world. The Nigeria government is being cheated, duped and robbed billions of dollars annually through the various leakages in the Foreign Missions through the acts of these Nigeria representatives abroad , which the current Minister of Foreign Affairs should look into if he is  interested to find a remedy for Nigeria’s image abroad.

When President Jonathan was sworn-in for a fresh tenure, it was not only in Nigeria that people celebrated; Nigerian civil servants who are serving in Foreign Missions, especially where political diplomats lord it on them as despots and King Kongs, there was a sporadic eruption of jubilation that change has come.

Their excitement was hinged on expectation that some of the corrupt and inept political ambassadors would be axed so that our Foreign Missions can also enjoy “a breath of fresh air”. This was not, however, to be and the evil and acute abuse, as well as dysfunctional system that characterize our Foreign Missions will continue unabated.

It is also unfortunate that the supervisory and monitoring mechanism of the Nigeria Ministry of Foreign Affairs is weak and ineffective. It is in the best interest of President Jonathan to withdraw some of these dishonest people who are ruining the Nigeria foreign Missions and its image thereby causing the present administration embarrassment abroad.

Dr Adekunle is of the Diplomatic Vanguard, Abuja, Nigeria.