Tributes for Oluyemi Adeniji, former foreign minister

Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, diplomats and retired ambassadors, serving and retired permanent secretaries have paid tribute to a former minister of foreign affairs, Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji.

Adeniji a former Nigerian Ambassador to France died in London on Nov. 30 2017 at the age of 83

They spoke in Abuja at a tribute service for late Adeniji organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Onyeama said Adeniji lived a life worthy of emulation and would be remembered for his passionate service and immense contribution to Nigeria’s diplomatic sector.

“He was appointed the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Sierra Leone and Head of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) from November 19, 1999 to July 16, 2003.

“He served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian embassies in Washington, D.C., Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Accra, Ghana.

“He retired from service in 1991 after serving as the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Adeniji headed negotiations in Kenya related to that country’s political crisis, following the departure of the previous head negotiator, Kofi Annan in 2008.

“He was appointed Foreign Affairs Minister by former president Olusegun Obasanjo. He served between July 2003 and June 2006, when he was moved to head the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” he said.

Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Carlos TrejoSosa, who spoke on behalf of the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps extolled the late former minister, describing him as a great man and icon in the diplomatic circle.

The late ambassador worked for his nation and the continent, the envoy said.

The Chairman Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN) John Shinkaye described late Adeniji as an iconic figure in the Foreign Service rising to the position of a permanent secretary and later foreign minister.