Abike Dabiri-Erewa is suffering from that disease that see ms to afflict our senior government officials: selective amnesia.
From her statement released by her SA Media yesterday, admonishing Nigerians abroad to be good ambassadors and exercise restraint, it seems that she has forgotten what it means to be an ordinary citizen and more importantly a journalist.
Aunty, I shall show restraint in my words here, and not admonish you too harshly. I shall, however, entreat you to visit any of our embassies, not in an official capacity of course (that would negate the whole point) and see how those who work there do not heed your words of good ambassadorship and restraint in their manners.
Visit and see the humiliation meted out, the disdain and insults poured upon and the general lack of any human courtesy or respect for Nigerian citizens.
There is no process in place, information is given piecemeal depending on whom you ask and whose palm you have greased.
You are lied to, given phantom lists of documents to provide and hoops to jump through, because you have chosen not to bribe someone to get a passport.
Aunty, go there. Dust off your journalistic credentials and do some digging.
I don’t blame this guy for what he did. He was frustrated by the people in the embassy. That is what they do. They live to frustrate you until you breakdown and agree to bribe someone to smooth your path. How more people have not gone down the path this gentleman has chosen, beats me.
Perhaps they choose to exercise this restraint you speak of, and common sense in the face of the unprofessionalism shown by the embassy staff.
I do not speak of the embassy in London alone. I have been unfortunate enough to experience our embassy in other countries too. They are no better. These days, I apply for a visa to visit my own country.
I cannot come and go and die!!!
⁃a restrained Nigerian in diaspora