Out of the dysfunctional structure of the machinery of the government in Nigeria, there is always something bizarre, if we may paraphrase the Roman Emperor Pliny.
On the political front, it will appear that it is not only the British Prime Minister Theresa May who has had a very awful week. In the words of the former International Footballer turned pundit, Gary Linekar, Mrs May, by losing her parliamentary majority in an unnecessary election, has scored the own goal of the year. The contagious effect of May’s electoral debacle appears to have also infected our own Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa who has also committed an unenforced error.
Against every grain of common sense, the Senior Special Assistant to the president on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, as the post is rather grandly depicted, sent a “Congratulatory Letter to 7 Nigerian British citizens for their Victory at the U.K Parliamentary elections.” Obviously, this letter was not routed through the Minister of Foreign Affairs and certainly it did not have the imprimatur of the country’s Foreign Ministry.
The first question here is, do the seven people being congratulated have dual nationality? We hope that Mrs Dabiri-Erewa has looked up the legal position on holding dual nationality and being a member of the British House of Commons. This is vital because, the seven elected members who are Irish Republicans and Nationalists will not be taking up their parliamentary seats because of their refusal to swear allegiance to the Queen of England. Therefore, in what way are they ‘Nigerians’? And who are they swearing allegiance to? Also, what is the benefit of their election to Nigeria’s political economy and its trade relationships with post-Brexit Britain. How Nigeria will mileage on their presence in the British house of commons and hopefully turn them into a formidable lobby group must be at the heart of the raison d’être for this congratulatory message. Presumably, the strategic imperative must be to make them as effective as the Jewish lobby in Washington DC.
The dysfunction is glaring in trying to solve the puzzle. For a start, ‘Diaspora’ should be a high-powered, very technical desk in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Technically efficient and empowered it should be immersed in trade issues, promoting diaspora bonds (this has been very successful in India and the Philippines) and the micro-targeting of Nigerian professionals in various fields of endeavour, to assist in manpower requirements in the national development efforts.
A proper diaspora effort should for example, put together initiatives to bring some of our medical personnel from abroad home, Hugo Chaves as President of Venezuela put this on the front-burner with remarkable effect when he was in power.
The cross-proposes in which the machinery of government is working is a reflection of the ‘jobs for the boys’ framework and the inability to streamline the machinery of government by implementing the Oronsaye report. It is obvious that the so-called ‘Diaspora Office’ is very confused about its role and a perennial source of embarrassment to the country’s foreign policy framework and direction. The best place for it is to be put in the Foreign Ministry under a seasoned retired Ambassador liaising with the office of the Federal Government’s Chief Trade Negotiator. International trade relationships and Nigerians in the Diaspora are very serious issues fundamental to the economic health, current accounts and balance of payments of the country. The role requires solid technical expertise as well as diplomatic nous. It really cannot be reduced to a part of ‘the jobs for the boys and girls’ patronage network, Nigeria’s economic position is too parlous for such an indulgence.
To save further dysfunctionality as well as the occasional comic interlude, another job should be found for Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
The sooner, the better.
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