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Atwo-day Embassies and Consular Missions Conference (ECMC) scheduled to hold at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Complex in Abeokuta, Ogun State, is generating controversy among retired and serving diplomats, Daily Trust can report.
The conference, which holds Thursday through Friday, is being organised by Worldwide Economic Development Agency Limited (WEDAL). Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is listed as chief host, Professor Pat Utomi as chief guest speaker and the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi as special guest of honour.
Also listed among speakers at the event are ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Aviation, Geoffrey Onyeama, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Hadi Sirika respectively.
The event, according to the invitation published in some
national dailies, is tagged “ECMC 2017: Enhancing the relationship between foreign missions and Nigeria,” adding that it is going to be a gathering of “all ambassadors, foreign missions, consular and diplomatic staff with government agencies and captain of industries.”
However, former envoys, under the auspices of Association of Retired Ambassadors of Nigeria, said the agency (WEDAL) has no right to convene foreign ambassadors without the knowledge and participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said it has no knowledge of the event and as such, not part of it “in any shape or form.”
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye said the ministry only got information of the event through newspaper publication.
“We saw that ourselves. We have nothing to do with it. We are not involved in any shape or form,” Enikanolaiye told Daily Trust in a telephone interview.
According to him, the ministry remains the official intermediary between the diplomatic missions resident in Nigeria and the Nigerian government.
“Anything outside of that framework is unknown to the ministry,” he added.
On whether the ministry is considering asking the diplomatic community to honour the invitation or not, he said, “The organisers did not ask us to invite or not to invite. We cannot therefore ask the diplomatic community to attend or not to attend. They know the right thing that this is not the way to go.”
But the organisers of the conference said the ministry is aware of the event and has been invited.
“They were invited. They may not be part of it but they were informed and invited,” the conference secretary, Judith Geraldo, told Daily Trust on phone yesterday.
Some of the envoys confirmed receiving invitations from the organisers but did not say whether they will attend the event or not.
‘Private entity has no right to host envoys’ seminar’
The Association of Retired Ambassadors of Nigeria has expressed concern over the forthcoming event, saying no private entity has the right to host such a diplomatic event without the knowledge of the foreign ministry.
A member of the association, who preferred not to be named, said such event should have been organised with the backing of the foreign ministry.
“You don’t invite foreign ambassadors with their officers to come for a meeting without the knowledge of the foreign ministry…We have our diplomatic practice. Ambassadors don’t travel outside the nation’s capital without informing the foreign ministry,” he said.
The event, he said, has security implication to be held without the knowledge and participation of the foreign ministry as it will expose Nigerian “big-men” to the participants who are mostly spies.
The retired envoy, who said he had served in nine countries, noted that such diplomatic conference has never been hosted by a private entity.
“I served as a diplomat in nine different countries and I cannot remember where a private entity invites foreign ambassadors over and above the government to which they are accredited,” he said.
He said the organisers took it upon themselves to invite foreign ambassadors which they cannot do without clearance from the federal government.
“They have to seek clearance from the government that this is their intention to hold a seminar or whatever it is. And government will then consider the security, political and economic implication before approval,” he said.
According to him, the foreign ambassadors invited to the conference know that it is wrong for a private entity to invite them.
‘Obasanjo wouldn’t have condoned it’
“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo would not have allowed such event to hold because he knows the foreign ambassadors are accredited to his government and not any private entity,” our source said.
“The question we should ask ourselves is that why should a private entity invite foreign ambassadors without clearance from the federal government?” he queried, stressing that foreign envoys are accredited to the government of Nigeria.
Another retired diplomat said as former president, Obasanjo has direct access to foreign missions, and it is always difficult to stop him when he sets in mind on something.
“During his tenure as president, he ignored the Foreign Ministry in his diplomatic shuttles. Foreign missions only got to know of his visit few days to arrival,” he said.
However, a source close to the former president said “Obasanjo was only invited to the event. He did not organise it.”
When Daily Trust contacted the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), a top source confirmed the scheduled conference at the venue.
He said “a private organization did come around to book one of the venues for the programme. I cannot remember when it will hold. In fact, the Library was invited to be part of the programme. That much I can tell you, please,” the source told Daily Trust on phone.