Politics

Olusola Fabunmi

According to onlineWikipedia, “an embassy is a permanent diplomatic mission, saddled with the responsibility of protecting in the host state, the interest of the sending state, and that of its NATIONALS, within the limit permitted by international law, negotiating with the government of the receiving state; thereby promoting friendly relations between the two states as regard their cultural, scientific and socio-economic developments.”

I wish to say that from my experience of living in the United States for just about three and half years, the Nigerian Embassy is far from being any of the above, and real life situations, circumstances, occurrences are abound to drive home my point.

Your Excellency, permit me to start with the issuance of the new e-passport which I am told will close officially by the April 30, 2011. Any embassy that is worth its onion anywhere in the world today with the advent of information technology should be able to interact and inform her citizens about policies, programmes and developments from time to time. It is a shame to let you know that as I write this, the information posted on the Nigerian House’s website operating in New York is dated back to 2009. If you call that embassy on 42^nd street from now till eternity, no one will answer. I have called many times, and many other people have also called with the same testimony. I wrote two emails in December 2010, asking little enlightenment, and I am yet to receive the reply to any as at today.