By Sunday Oyinloye
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recalled all the Ambassadors late last year, Nigerians were shocked to note that it was blanket recall. Career diplomats who have not completed their three year tenure were also asked to return home without any reason. The action was strange to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but it went almost unnoticed in the media
Immediately the news of the recall broke, I thought within myself that the President would allow those of them (career diplomats) whose Missions were strategic to the economic development of Nigeria to stay on their duty post, but that was not done, except for two of them others were recalled.
Nigeria’s United Nations Permanent Representatives in New York and Geneva were exempted from the total recall due to the then upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA);Nigeria’s Ambassador to Belgium and Head of Nigerian delegation to the European Union/ Organization of African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) which is the most strategic block for economic development of Nigeria, Mr.Chiedu Obinna Onowu was not retained at his duty post.
On the whole Nigeria has 109 diplomatic missions across the globe which comprising 76 Embassies, 22 High Commissions and 11 Consulates.
Ask any diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they will tell you that Onowu is one of the best career diplomats in Nigeria today. He knows his job so well; he is thorough andalways meticulous while reading any official document.
Formerly Charge d’Affaires En-Titre of Nigeria to Burundi, Ambassador Onowu has also served as Minister at the Embassy of Nigeria in The Hague, Netherlands, and as Legal Adviser and Alternate Political Coordinator to Nigeria’s delegation to the UN Security Council.
He has also served in Nigeria’s Missions to the UK, at the Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, in Geneva, Switzerland; and in Johannesburg, South Africa.
I worked with him at the Embassy of Nigeria in the Netherlands and know him to be a brilliant and exceptional diplomat. He doesn’t sign documents carelessly.
When he was appointed the Ambassador of Nigeria to Belgium, I knew he would make a difference which he eventually did. Under his watch, the first Nigeria Belgium Luxembourg Business Forum was held in Brussels last year. Not only that, trade relations between Belgium and Nigeria improved while he was our Ambassador in that country.
Like other career diplomats, Ambassador Onowu returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when they were recalled.
However, Ambassador Onowu who likes quiet life experienced the most embarrassing moment in his career as a diplomat over fake news concerning the 12-page Samoa Agreement.
As the man who signed on behalf of Nigeria, the fake news published by Daily Trust Newspaper ( though the paper has apologised) portrayed the well refined diplomat as a man who went to sell his country and I can imagine the psychological trauma he would have passed through until Daily Trust came out to admit that their story was false.
Though Ambassador Onowu would have gone through emotional torture and hardship in the past ten days or so, the good thing is that truth has prevailed.
As a Journalist, I implore my colleagues to always toe the path of truth and do thorough investigation before publishing any story. What is the essence of breaking fake news?
And to Nigerians, we should do away with gullibility. Most people condemn not on the basis of fact, but because they see others doing so. They believe in anything they read or watch on social media because they are too lazy to process information.
My message to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is this. I want to suggest that Ambassador Onowu should be compensated for the embarrassment, troubles and trauma he went through for the sake of economic development of Nigeria.
Doing so will encourage our public servants to be ready at all times to give their best for our great country.
