Nigerians no matter where they are will always remain as Nigerians and the country will not shy away from its responsibilities to them no matter the situation they found themselves in.
A Diplomat Minister.
Recently some Nigerians were executed in Indonesia for drug related offences.
These Nigerians did not seek Approval/Consent or Permission of the government to travel and yet when they were caught and sentenced to death the entire country came out to protest over the death sentence passed on them, not only that, the government came heavily on the Indonesian government. The Nigerian Diplomat Minister had to summon the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria to lodge a formal complaint on his home government insistence to go ahead with the executions. While the three have already gone, the remaining execution has been put on hold.
Whatever one calls these guys who unfortunately found themselves in that situation, Nigerian Diplomat Minister did not find it funny to sit in his office and DISOWN these NIGERIANS. He did all he could to SAVE their LIVES.
THAT IS A DIPLOMAT MINISTER FOR NIGERIANS.
Soon after this heroic effort, Nigerians were faced with another unfortunate scenario where our U-23 national football team that is representing Nigeria at the Olympics’ bought their tickets’ and jetted ,WITH OR WITHOUT the Comrade Minister’s Approval/Consent and or Permission out to Atlanta in the USA, in furtherance of their patriotic desire to excel at the Olympics and bring honour to Nigeria. While in Atlanta they got into some difficulties and finding it difficult to continue on this national/self imposed assignment (as you wish to call it), put a call through to the Comrade Minister for a BAIL OUT from their predicament as NIGERIANS. I REPEAT as NIGERIANS.
This is the amazing response the world was faced with from our Comrade Minister.
“Whatever happens to the team (players and officials) is not my business. I don’t know about the trip to the United States of Nigeria (oops a typing error) sorry folks of America and if they are suffering that is the business of those who sponsored them NOT my BUSINESS.
And anyway that is how they traffic in human beings.”
Comrade Minister, I am at a loss
Here are TWO Scenarios involving NIGERIANS, I REPEAT NIGERIANS, who all TRAVELLED outside the Country (INDONESIA AND ATLANTA, USA) And the two can best be described as THE BAD AND THE GOOD – SELF SURVIVAL AND NATION IMAGE PROMOTION.
The entire people and government of Nigeria ROSE in SOLIDARITY with the BAD (Indonesia Drug Couriers), but the Nation Image Promoters (U-23 Olympic Team), The GOOD were DISOWNED and called HUMAN TRAFFICKERS by our Comrade Minister.
I hail the Red Beret Comrade Minister for this wonderful show of How Not To be A Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I salute the foresight of Mr President by not assigning the Foreign Affairs portfolio to our Comrade Brother. ELSE ?
On a final Note, I want to send a passionate APPEAL to my face book friends who are possibly on the other side of the political camp who see the Comrade Minister’s position as that of Mr President and or the APC to go without sentiments through this write-up which has in its small content showed that Comrade Minister ACTED on his OWN.
PMB is a Father and a Grand Father and above all, he is the nation’s father. He can never disown Nigerians under whichever circumstance they found themselves and whether by default or by design. The Indonesia drug couriers issue is an example on PMB’s commitment to saving Nigerian’s lives no matter the challenges as demonstrated by our Diplomat Minister.
And on the other hand our party the APC can never subscribe to the Comrade Minister’s position.
It is a party genuinely committed to the Nigerian nation and its people where ever they are.
Just a small digression to abuse the minds of my face book friends/wailers.
Must Comrade Minister talk if he doesn’t know what to say or if he is not informed about an issue?
If our comrade Minister continues like this, I think that equal minds should stage a protest to the Secretary to Government of the Federation and ask that Sports be merged with Foreign Affairs and Comrade Minister be moved there as Minister of State 111 in charge of ECOWAS.
As you read through this post, please accept once again my congratulations on the U-23 Samson Siasia tutored side for being the first team to qualify to the quarter final of the Rio Olympic Men’s Football Tournament.
Our flag shall be raised at the centre back side of many podiums and our national anthem shall be the first to be sung/played in many of the victory ceremonies. So shall it be insha Allah.
God bless our country and our President .
AMEEN.