FEATURE ARTICLE

Clement NicholasThursday, May 21, 2009
[email protected]
Moscow, Russia

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NIGERIAN EMBASSY MOSCOW MAKES IT TRENDY TO DENY BONAFIDE NIGERIANS CONSULAR SERVICES

The Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Nigeria

Sir,

ccept my warm greetings on your efforts in seeing that Nigerians abroad are given deserved treatments. It is indeed encouraging to see people of your caliber in the present government. This not withstanding, there may be need to visit the maltreatment of Nigerians in some missions abroad.


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While Nigeria's diplomats are working towards protecting the interest of their citizens, the reverse is the case in the Nigerian Embassy Moscow. Recent happenings at the mission with regards to the consular services Nigerian citizens enjoy are very questionable. Some officers of the Embassy go beyond normal reasoning to punish citizens inhumanly.

It is most unfortunate that the dividend of democracy received by Nigerians in Moscow is a denial of consular services for reasons best know to some parties who for long have been nursing hidden agenda's. And to my surprise the order of the day of this new administration in Moscow is denial of citizen's rights unreasonably. It is most unfortunate that this dirty act is getting rooted in the system and failure to curb these abnormalities may lead to serious disorder in the nearest future

About three months ago, it was a top official that denied a Bonafide Nigerian entrance to the embassy because of private reasons that in no way could have been a threat to the nation. Most recently, an officer that is highly ranked in the embassy and assumed to be a well trained officer has seen to the denial of consular services to student leaders that have been sent under a scholarship to the Russian Federation by the Nigerian government. Worst of all it has gone further to ensure that the embassy does not remit their allowances which have long been overdue. While these students are likely to be exposed to conditions such officers will never allow their own children to see, we remind them that we are also aware of their gross immoral misconducts that will soon be brought to limelight. Sir, you may reason with me that if scholarship students are maltreated in such a way, what happens to us that work hard to take care of our families in Russia. Very soon, the embassy may reject our citizenship probably claiming that we are married to foreigners.

It is most unfortunate that leaders who are suppose to be protecting the interest of their citizens end up maltreating their fellow countrymen, all in the name of pride, gain of material things and probably ill self interest that will sooner or later leave its murky situation and become vivid to those being deceived.

It is a long known fact that in Moscow, the Embassy has stopped looking into our consular problems with the exception of a few cases where officers have "interest" in the concerned individuals. We sit today to remember good officers that we once had. Many of us are forced to stay a certain part of our supposed to be productive lives behind bars due to the extreme harsh situations in Russia. And for the ladies they simply end up in the oldest trade known to man and probably being exploited by the precursors of their circumstances.

While these elites oppress the masses back at home, they should learn to know that in places like this there is respect for law.

The Honourable Minister should kindly look into the issue of officers that have been working round the clock to frustrate the lives of innocent Nigerians in Moscow.

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