 |
| Prof. Mrs.
Viola Onwuliri |
New York------On Wednesday, Jan
18, 2012, a few group of people mostly Nigerians gathered at a small
hall in Grand Hyatt Hotel in mid-town Manhattan, New York to meet the
Minister of State in Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Mrs.
Viola Onwuliri.
The event was reportedly
scheduled to take place at 6.00 pm. By 6.00 pm people arrived but the
minister never showed up until 7.45 pm. She arrived at the venue
in company of Mr. Jerry Ugokwe, former Nigerian Ambassador to Austria
and Mr. Habib Habu, Consul-General of Nigerian Consulate in New York.
The minister and her company got
seated and Nigerian national anthem was sung to open the occasion. Two
people, one Muslim and one Christian, were called upon to say opening
prayers. The Master of Ceremony then called upon Mr. Habib
Habu, Consul-General to the podium to address the gathering.
As the Consul-General went to the
podium to speak, a young man approached the front and grabbed a
microphone meant for the audience and tongue-lashed the Minister
for arriving late and started saying all sorts of stuffs that showed he
and his group actually did not want the meeting to take place. He called
the Minister all sorts of degrading names we will not want to print
here.
Some guys tried to take the
microphone from the protester and almost immediately about 10 other
people, apparently members of his group, joined him and struggle for the
microphone ensued. From then, one could say hell broke loose. The
protesters occupied the stage, started singing, clapping and speaking on
top of their voices, calling the Minister all sorts of degrading names,
stating the event should not hold
and urged everybody to go home.
Strangely, surprisingly and
ironically, the people contracted by the Minister and her team to
organize the event were observed to be quietly and secretly hailing
and urging the hecklers and protesters on. Repeat: the people contracted
by the Minister and her team to organize the event were observed to be
quietly and secretly hailing and urging the hecklers and protesters to
go on embarrassing the visiting Nigerian
Minister of State in the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.
It has to noted that chief among
the organizer who secretly and quietly was sabotaging the Minister was a
Nigerian female con-artist, an ex-con who had, while using fake names,
served time in US prison for hard drugs. This society woman of very
dubious character is reportedly a member and leader of PDP in New York.
That is what happens in most cases
when dubious government officials contract dubious characters to do
dubious jobs; the dubious characters bring dubious companions and
everything becomes very dubious and messy.
The hecklers and protesters held
the event hostage for about 1hr.10minutes until a contingent of New York
Police officers arrived at the venue and asked them to leave immediately
to avoid arrest. They took their winter coats and left.
After they left, the event resumed
and people lined up to ask questions and tell the Minister how they feel
about events in Nigeria.
When news of this incident got our
attention at Africans In America News Watch, we inquired on the purpose
of the meeting and the reason the Minister was in New York holding such
meeting. We were informed the minister was in New York as part of
her official mission commissioned by Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
to visit various foreign countries, meet with Nigerians and gather their
comments and pass to
Nigerian government of President
Goodluck Jonathan to be used to formulate government policy.
We were shocked to hear this.
We wanted to find out why a
Minister of State in Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs came to New
York to meet with Nigerian community in New York, New
Jersey, Connecticut, Rode Island and all other states under the
jurisdiction of Nigerian Consulate in New York and only about 20 to 30 people
knew about it and showed up. Most especially, at this very critical
moment people are so worried about news reports coming out of Nigeria.
The response we got simply reveal
the fact that monumental frauds which has been going on for a very long
time in Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, Nigeria Mission to
United Nations and Nigerian Consulate in New York continues with this
President Jonathan government till this day.
We will like to know from Nigerian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja head office and from the Office of
Nigerian President in Aso Rock Villa, the amount of money that was
budgeted for this trip, the mission and mandate for this trip and the
term of reference.
We will like to know from Nigerian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and from the Office of Nigerian President
who actually the Minister of State, Prof. Mrs. Viola Onwuliri and her
team were mandated to meet with during this official mission.
We will like to know whether they
were supposed to see various segments of Nigerian community including
professionals, community leaders, town union leaders, intellectuals,
business leaders, and Nigerians from all works of life and from various
parts of Nigeria in areas she visits; or, whether they were mandated to meet
with only a handful of Nigerians
that normally hang out at a particular mushroom ‘mama-put’ joints run by
con-artists and ex-convicts, former inmate at Metropolitan Correction
Center (MCC) New York, an individual that had done prison time (using
a fake name) in US for hard drugs, a hardcore criminal known to ‘ambush’
Nigerian government officials visiting United States, women of easy
virtues.
We will like to know whether the
Minister of State, Prof. Mrs. Onwuliri and her team were mandated to
assemble just a handful of Nigerians that hang out in a mama-put joint
every evening, get them in a hotel hall with the visiting officials,
take ‘mago-mago’ questions from them, take pictures and videos of the
meeting and submit those to government as job well-done.
The more we dig the more we found
what appear to be continuation of monumental frauds which has been going
on for a very long time in Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja;
Nigeria Mission to United Nations and Nigerian Consulate in New York.
From all indications those frauds
have not stopped, those frauds apparently continue under this government
of President Jonathan. Now if the people that run Nigerian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Office of President of Nigeria want to continue
with this waste and fraud, more power to them.
However, we want to be very clear
about this: we want to make it abundantly clear that these sorts of
frauds did not start ‘today or yesterday’, they did not start with this
administration anyway, rather, President Jonathan administration
inherited them and they continue till this day.
It may not surprise many to know
that Nigerian Consulate in New York and Nigerian Mission to the UN, New
York had asked Nigerian organizations, community associations, Nigerian
media outfits and Nigerian businesses in New York and surrounding states
under their jurisdiction (especially for the Consulate which does not
cover the whole of USA) to register with them and many of us did comply
with those requests.
But over and over, whenever
dignitaries and Nigerian government officials visit United States to
meet with Nigerian people in New York, instead of writing, calling and
informing Nigerian organizations, community associations, Nigerian media
outfits and Nigerian businesses duly registered with them, few corrupt
officials who are in league with certain elements will inform only
certain characters and even plan with those characters on how they want
the event to proceed.
Some corrupt officials in the
Consulate and Missions will plan that certain visiting officials will be
well-received while some will be booed, heckled and embarrassed.
Over and over, dignitaries and
Nigerian government officials visit United States on official mission
specifically to meet with Nigerian; but the Nigerians they supposedly
come to see never know about their visits and never meet them.
The officials never actually see anyone except handful group of friends
haphazardly assembled by consulate/mission officials, take pictures with
them and go back to Nigeria, possible concoct false report s that
mission was accomplished.
In this particular case of
Minister of State, Prof. Mrs. Viola Onwuliri, apparently Nigerian
Foreign Ministry spent a lot of money for the Minister and her team to
come to United States on very important official government mission: to
speak to Nigerians community here and gather feedbacks, comments,
questions and concerns and send them back to government in Abuja.
Rather than do exactly what she
was sent to do going through the proper channel, or, deal with a
credible group, either the Minister, or, someone in her team
contracted a con-artist and ex-con, a former inmate at Metropolitan
Correction Center (MCC) New York, an individual that had done prison
time (using a fake name) in US for hard drugs, a hardcore criminal known
to ‘ambush’ Nigerian government officials visiting
United States; this con-artist was
contracted to gather some people of questionable characters from her
restaurant, assembled them into a hotel, took some ‘mago-mago’ comments,
photos and videos and submit those to government in Abuja as
justification for tens (or hundreds) of thousands of Dollars or Pounds
being commissioned for the very important official assignment.
For avoidance of any doubt, these
characters normally do this sort of thing in cohort with certain corrupt
officials in Nigerian government, Abuja, Nigerian Consulate and Mission
in New York.
How long will this shenanigan
last? If Nigerian government is serious about fighting corruption, then
let’s get on with it.
Serious quality assurance and
integrity questions for the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs:
• Is it
possible that the Minister herself is not aware of this fraud?
• As a
professor and supposedly a high-ranking intellectual, is she not aware
there are a lot of Nigerian professionals, community leaders, town union
leaders, intellectuals, business leaders, news media and Nigerians from
all works of life here in New York and surrounding states?
• Did
she see them in that little gathering of mostly ‘Yahoo boys and girls’
that normally use fake names to blog and abuse people on the
internet?
• As a
professor of knowledge and learning, does she feel the characters she met with
in New York on Wednesday January 18, 2012 were statistical representation
of Nigerians in New York area?
• Was
she curious and did she ask question why Nigerians in New York
surrounding areas did not turn out in numbers, especially at this very
critical time people are so concerned about reports coming out of the
country?
This fraudulent practice does not
serve the government of Nigeria well, it does not serve President
Jonathan well, and does not do Nigerians in New York area and others in Diaspora
any good, either. The only persons sharp practices like this benefit
are the officials that collect a lot of money from government, including
estacode, to shuttle from city to city, country to country for nothing
meaningful but shenanigan;
others are their accomplices that
help them to siphon the funds.
There is need for thorough
investigation.
We stand ready to further discuss
and shed more lights on the issues raised in this report with any
authority interested in seriously addressing fraud, waste and corruption
in Nigerian government.
Since the incident involve
Nigerian money, Nigerian government officials, Nigerians in United
States and since New York Police Department had also gotten involved
to get rid of the hecklers and protesters that practically held the
Nigerian government officials, Nigerians and the event ‘hostage’ in the
hotel, it will be good idea if Nigerian and US authorities could conduct
joint investigation to get to the bottom of issues raised in this fraud.
Let us conclude by saying; this
report will serve as our own peaceful and eloquent protest against
corruption believing that people that run Nigerian government: Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and Office of Nigerian President particularly want
to hear the truth about various forms of wastes and corruption and want
to do something about it.
We surely hope that this report
will be very valuable for informed policy decision.
Long live The Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
May God give Nigerian leaders the
fortitude and courage to get serious with war on waste and corruption.
We are yours truly and committed
to our cause:
Bonaventure
Ezekwenna
Africans In
America, Inc.
www.AfricansInAmericaInc.org
Africans In
America News Watch: Newspaper published by Africans In America, Inc.
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