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NIGERIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE NETHERLANDS RECALLED.
Nigerian Ambassador
to the Netherlands Mrs. (Prof.) Mary Lar has been
relieved of her position. In a letter sent to her
dated 14th November, 2006 titled “Recall” stated
that the presidency wishes to recall the Nigerian
Ambassador back to Nigeria with immediate effect.
The letter was signed by the permanent secretary of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Hakeem Baba
Ahmed.
I wish to state clearly that the Nigerian community
here in the Netherlands is deeply saddened with the
news of the ambassador’s recall. Prof (Mrs.) Mary
Lar distinguished herself as the best ambassador to
have sat in this position here in The Hague. Since
her appointment as the Nigerian ambassador to the
Netherlands, she has brought together Nigerians from
all religious and ethnic background. Until her
arrival, the Nigerian embassy in The Hague was a
grave yard with virtually no activity. Her arrival
brought life into the activities of the embassy.
Nigerians can now have a sense of belonging, with
passport being issued within the stipulated period.
Visa applications can be submitted and collected the
same day. She has availed herself in virtually every
conference, seminar, cultural and organizational
meetings that she has been invited. She has
presented papers in many Dutch meetings showcasing
the positive side of Nigeria as a country.
She has presided over two visits of the Nigerian
president Olusegun Obasanjo to the Netherlands. In
the president’s speech he even acknowledged the good
work of our dear ambassador. She contributed
immensely to the success of the Nigerian U-21
national team, the flying eagles during the world
cup hosted by the Netherlands. She rallied Nigerians
in the Netherlands together during the loss of the
nation’s first lady Mrs. Stella Obasanjo. She even
recognized the personal contributions of Nigerians
living in the Netherlands by the setting up an
annual award ceremony to reward Nigerians for their
hard work and promotion of Nigerian good image here
in the country. She used her good office to
intervene in the cases of Nigerians who were treated
unjustly by the Dutch authorities over their
immigration status.
It was in her tenure that Nigeria witnessed the
highest number of Dutch investors migrating to
Nigeria despite the huge challenges caused by the
political unrest in Nigeria ranging from religious
crisis to militia activities in the Niger Delta. She
created an open door policy where you can bring your
problems directly to her. She stood personally like
a mother to many individual Nigerians. Her departure
will leave an empty vacuum that will be difficult to
fill.
Possible reason for her recall
In a normal democratic dispensation, when there is a
recall of this nature it then means that there is
need for a better change with the incumbent giving
way to the injection of new blood. But as an avid
follower of the political situation back home in
Nigeria, her recall was a time bomb ready to explode
anytime. It may have come as a surprise to many
Nigerians here who may not know who the man Obasanjo
is. I was among the very few whose Obasanjo policies
have never deceived. If I was even surprised then my
surprise is that the recall came even too late. The
political imbroglio that has brought the second
republic civilian governor of Plateau state,
founding member and first chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Solomon Lar on the
opposite side must have led to the recall of the
ambassador who happens to be his wife.
Chief Solomon Lar was a staunch
critic of the Obasanjo's political tricks to prolong
his stay in power beyond his constitutional term. As
a true democrat who respects the nation’s
constitution, he personal encouraged the embattled
ex-governor of Anambra state Dr. Chris Ngige.
Reports linking the elder statesmen to the Chief
Shuaib Oyedokun led faction of the PDP may have
unsettled the presidency. His recent open criticism
of the policies of the presidency and refusal to toe
the line of the infamous government led by president
Obasanjo may have led to plans by the presidency to
isolate him in the political wilderness. Recently
Chief Solomon Lar questioned the impeachment of ex
governor Dariya of Plateau state. He clearly stated
that he was against corruption but constitution
should be followed in carrying out impeachment. For
those who know that the motto of this administration
is that “you are either for us or against us” will
not see the recall of his wife as a matter of
administrative restructuring.
The underlining point of this recall is that you are
no longer judged by your performance but by the
strength of your loyalty. You are either stripped of
your political appointment or a ban is placed on
your area of business or the EFCC is given the
empowerment to chase you with questionable
corruption charges. In this case it is not the Lar’s
family that has been dealt a big blow as the
presidency may think, but we the Nigerian residents
living in the Netherlands.
Below is a paper presented by her Excellency the
out-going Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands.
Comrade Sunny
Ofehe
President/Founder
Hope for Niger Delta Campaign, HNDC
The Netherlands.
WELCOME ADDRESS TO NIGERIANS BY HER EXCELLENCY
PROF. (MRS.) MARY N. LAR
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me start by expressing how impressed and
appreciative I am of the Nigerian community here in
the Netherlands. I wish to acknowledge the spirit of
patriotism that Nigerians demonstrated during the
National Day celebrations, the President’s visit and
to the National Team at the Youth FIFA games in
2005. I must express my gratitude for your
tremendous support as you continuously rallied round
me whenever I called on you. I particularly recall
that your care and concern, prayers and support
uplifted me during my bereavement. I and my family
appreciate this.
Indeed, I have been very encouraged by your show of
support and participation in all major
Nigeria-related events. Several of you have given
outstanding contributions towards the betterment of
the Embassy here in the Netherlands. You did all
that in love of their country. We appreciate you
all. God will reward you accordingly. It is our
desire that more Nigerians will come closer to the
Embassy and get involved to assist in the efforts of
the Mission. The work of the Embassy is ours
together. Each one of us has a role to play in the
advancement of our country. Each idea, each opinion
is extremely important and the Embassy is welcoming
all positive and constructive ideas. The work the
Embassy does reflects on all of us as Nigerians,
your contributions will be invaluable. Do yourself a
service by coming closer to the Embassy. Bring your
business contacts, partnerships, and networks. Some
of you could volunteer your time and effort to the
country through the Embassy work. Do not stay away
and complain but come closer and make your
contributions.
The Nigerian Embassy has three major functions as
part of its mission to promote the interest of the
Nigerian government and its people in the
Netherlands. One of the three functions is to be
available to Nigerian Citizens resident in The
Netherlands. Therefore, the Embassy wishes to
intensify its efforts to get to know its citizens.
The Embassy encourages all Nigerians resident in the
Netherlands to register its presence with us. We
would like to know who you are, where you are and
what you do. We look forward to promoting businesses
of credible Nigerians as we did with a Nigerian
engaged in Fishery at our National Day Celebration
last year. We wish to encourage and celebrate
successes of Nigerians making positive contributions
both here and back in our home country. Clearly, we
will not be successful in any of these goals if we
do not receive timely information from you.
Therefore, we solicit your cooperation, your can
start by completing the registration forms already
designed by the Embassy and currently posted on our
website www. Nigerianembassy.nl.
I appreciate Nigerians who receive training here and
desire to return home to make their contributions to
the development of the country. I was glad to have
met two graduate students recently who both
indicated a strong interest in returning to Nigeria.
Nigeria needs all hands on deck in steering the ship
of the country in the right direction. In the event
that you do decide to remain here, do not forget
where you come from. Continue to make sure you make
your contribution to Nigeria wherever you find
yourself. Let me encourage each one of you not to
forget to pass on the ideas, values and traditions
of Nigeria to your children. We recently came across
a case of an applicant requesting a Nigerian
passport who claimed the parents were from Nigeria
but had no information on them especially on the
local government of origin and yet requested a
Nigerian passport. The Mission needs detailed
information for the services rendered. We must
identify your state, and Local Government of origin
to issue you with a Nigerian passport, for instance.
We must address the negative image of Nigeria all
around the world and particularly here in the
Netherlands. It is true that the media seems to
focus only on the negative events in our country. No
doubt, the media continues to barrage us with images
of regional, ethnic and religious conflicts,
intractable corruption in the country, poverty and
diseases.
While these developments are disturbing, we know
that there are still many positive things that
happen in our country. For instance, the number of
Nigerians involved in “419” or other sharp practices
like drug peddling and prostitution are quite
negligible compared to the vast majority who are law
abiding. However, I would like us to reflect
seriously on the impact of this negativity on our
country and the million innocent Nigerian citizens
that this affects. I wish us to consider the causes
of these negative behaviors such as 419, drugs,
prostitution and many other vices. Let us seek ways
to address these issues so as to stem this negative
tide and put Nigeria back on the map of prosperity
and goodwill. I call on all of you to collaborate
with the Embassy in seeking solutions to the many
challenges that beset Nigeria. I assure you that my
office remains open to constructive suggestions
designed to move us forward.
In a quick review of what our country experienced in
the past year, we realize that our country has gone
through both positive and unpleasant experiences.
A survey conducted prior to the major disasters of
the recent months identified Nigerians as the
happiest people on earth. I wonder if the same can
still be said of Nigerians today. It is also said
that an international comment identifies Nigerians
as the most hard working people on earth but with
nothing to show for the hard work. I have to dispute
this assertion, as I believe that Nigeria has plenty
to show for the hard work of the past years. Nigeria
has secured debt-relief; it is beginning to see some
changes in the war against corruption, and we are
certainly seeing a cleaner environment in our
country especially in our capital city Abuja. Here
in the Netherlands we were able to improve our
relations with our host government, a situation that
led to a relaxation of the stringent visa
requirements for students. We also recorded an
increase in our visa issuances indicating an upsurge
in the number of Dutch visiting our country.
Unfortunately, our country also witnessed
devastating plane crashes and the death of our first
lady, Chief (Mrs.) Stella Obasanjo. Here in the
Netherlands, we had some challenges with Nigerians
and their immigration status.
As the year’s go-by, we cherish all the successes
and learn from the failures and challenges of these
past years. Let us put some issues that are in the
past, in the past, while we set new goals for the
years ahead that will positively affect our
societies both here and at home.
In looking forward to a brighter future, let me
exhort you to support our country, our president and
the people of Nigeria in attracting investors and
tourists to our country. Undoubtedly, our country
has immense wealth and untapped potentials. We
encourage all available assistance in expertise and
other resources for exploring our untapped
potential. I encourage you to identify credible
investors we can attract to our country. Thanks to
those who have assisted the embassy in this endeavor
in the past. I call on all Nigerians to create an
enabling environment for the investors. You can
begin from where you are. Your behaviour tells a lot
about your home; your interaction with others is a
reflection of the country. Let us be at our best in
all things at all times and let us project a good
image of our nation and ourselves.
Nigerians have always been people of faith. Let me
seize this opportunity to wish you the best in your
endeavor in the years to come. Let us declare the
coming years as years of hope, years of new
beginnings, and years of breakthroughs.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Prof. (Mrs.) Mary N. Lar
(Ambassador)
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