Rejoinder- ‘UN: Nigeria’s Absence at Crucial Meetings’

The Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations is irked and has expressed it’s displeasure to an Editorial in the Nigerian Tribune of Tuesday 13^th of October under the title,” UN: Nigeria’s Absence at Crucial Meetings.”. To this end, the Permanent Mission has issued a rejoinder signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Tope Ade Elias-Fatile. Dr. Elias-Fatile gave a blow by blow rebuttal on the purported false allegations in the Nigerian Tribune’s Editorial. Below is the full text of the rejoinder:

The attention of the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, New York, has been invited to the malicious Editorial of the Nigerian Tribune of Tuesday 13th October, 2015 titled “UN: Nigeria’s absence at crucial meetings.” It is regrettable that the Nigerian Tribune, which the Mission holds in very high regard, could constitute an instrument of misinformation to the Public.

It is common knowledge that Editorial columns like this are sometimes sponsored; it is also common knowledge that once published, it is considered as an official position of the newspaper except otherwise stated, which is not the situation in this instance. Although well-equipped with this fact, efforts would be made not to join issues with the Nigerian Tribune; but to address the author of this shoddy Editorial and the issues raised therein, while the Editorial Board of the newspaper cannot be exculpated.

The author deliberately refused to refer to Nigeria’s outstanding performance during the High-Level segment of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Editorial did not make mention of the superlative level of the participation of Nigeria’s President at the Session.  It did not inform the public that Nigeria was in high demand by leading countries and international organizations during the Session. It did not state how Mr. President had a daily schedule that was full of engagements and activities in pursuit of, and for the promotion of Nigeria’s national interests.

For the avoidance of doubt, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, effectively participated in the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, from Thursday 24th to Tuesday 29th September, 2015. The visit, which was the first to the United Nations Headquarters after his inauguration as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in May, 2015, was immensely successful. The content of the attached copy of the Press Release issued by the Mission on 29th September, 2015, at the completion of Mr. President’s visit to New York will further enlighten the public.

Consequently, it is our duty to educate the Nigerian Tribune and the general public regarding the inaccuracies and misrepresentations contained in the Editorial under reference. While copies of this Rejoinder would be circulated to different Media organizations in Nigeria, we hope the Nigerian Tribune would have the courage to publish it in full so that the public can judge and ascertain the truth.

The very first misleading information in this biased Editorial is that:  “The president was, however, unable to attend a meeting with Pope Francis who was the first Pontiff to address the General Assembly.”   It is incorrect to state that Pope Francis was the first Pontiff to address the General Assembly. Pope Francis is the fourth Pope to visit and address the General Assembly since 1945 when the United Nations was founded, although it is the fifth time that a Pope would address the Assembly. Popes had addressed the General Assembly in this order: Pope Paul VI addressed the Assembly on October 4, 1965, thereby being the very first Pope to address the General Assembly; Pope John Paul II addressed the Assembly twice in 1979 and in 1995; Pope Benedict XVI also addressed the Assembly in 2008; and Pope Francis addressed the Assembly on Friday, 25th October, 2015.

Obviously, the author of the Editorial does not understand the difference between the UN General Assembly in New York and the U.S. Congress in Washington D.C. On Thursday 24th September, 2015, Pope Francis made history as the first Pope to address a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress, which is distinct from the General Assembly of the United Nations. The address to the U.S. Congress was delivered at the Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. and not in New York. These are two different cities located in two different states of the United States of America.

Evidently, the author of the Editorial was much more enthusiastic in publishing sensational stories rather than providing reliable information for the public. It is certain that neither the author nor any member of the Editorial Board had read or seen a copy of Pope Francis’ address to the UN General Assembly on Friday, 25th October, 2015, where he stated clearly that “This is the fifth time that a Pope has visited the United Nations. I follow in the footsteps of my predecessors Paul VI, in 1965, John Paul II, in 1979 and 1995, and my most recent predecessor, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in 2008….”

In addition, the Editorial conveys inconsistent information that: “The president was, however, unable to attend a meeting with Pope Francis…With regard to the meeting with the Pontiff, President Buhari was prevented from joining his colleagues at the meeting because he did not pass through the gate reserved for presidents. He arrived late for the event because Nigerian Embassy officials messed up his itinerary.”

It is important to highlight the need to always differentiate between a Permanent Mission and an Embassy, as Nigeria and other countries of the world do not have Embassies in New York. What we have is Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, New York.

The author misinforms the public through contradictory statements in the Editorial that Mr. President:

1. “was unable to attend a meeting with Pope Francis;”
2. “was prevented from joining his colleagues at the meeting because he did not pass through the gate reserved for presidents;”

In another breath, the author added that Mr. President:

1. “arrived late for the event because Nigerian Embassy officials messed up his itinerary.”

There is no agreement in these incoherent sentences, none of which is true, because:

i) No one can prevent a Sovereign from attending a meeting of an organization to which his/her country is a Member State. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for the President of any Member State of the United Nations to be “prevented from joining his colleagues” at any UN meeting.

ii) Most significantly, the host country (USA) takes charge of the security, movements and transportation of visiting Presidents to New York for the General Assembly from their point of arrival to departure. All the personnel assigned to Nigeria to coordinate Mr. President’s movements, transportation and logistics undertook these responsibilities with the utmost sense of duty. There was no instance of when they led Mr. President into the UN premises through a gate that is not “reserved for presidents.” Meanwhile, the Mission has since conveyed its gratitude to them for the efficient manner in which they coordinated these arrangements.

iii) For this reason, it is completely fallacious to state that officials of the Mission (who are not in-charge of Mr. President’s movements and transportation into the UN premises) “messed up his itinerary” and he “arrived late for the event.” The Mission’s role was to receive him at the point of entry into the relevant building within (not into) the UN premises and conduct him to the venues of the meetings scheduled for the day. We must state emphatically that throughout the period, the Mission seamlessly led Mr. President to the various meeting venues within the UN premises.

For clarity, Mr. President arrived at the General Assembly Hall ahead of Pope Francis’ Address and he listened to the address. The exact time for the address was 10.00.a.m. as officially announced in the UN Journal of Friday 25th, September, 2015. A copy is attached with this Rejoinder and it can also be obtained by accessing the UN Journal of that date online. Click on www.un.org/en/documents/journal.asp and select the Journal of 25 September, 2015.

The Mission hereby reaffirms the fact that Mr. President was driven into the UN premises for the Pope’s Address; he arrived at the General Assembly Hall and was seated prior to the commencement of the Address at 10.00.a.m. He listened to the Address from the very beginning when the Pope said his very first words till the very end.

The video clip of Pope Francis’ Address can be obtained from the UN Media and it is also available online at http://webtv.un.org/topicsissues/observers/holy-see/watch/address-by-his-holiness-pope-francisgeneral-assembly-3rd-plenary-meeting-70th-session/450924342500. On this video clip, there is the need for a painstaking effort to spot Mr. President and members of his delegation on the Nigerian Desk. It may be necessary to keep the video still at some point to watch him standing up with other world leaders to applaud the Pope.

It could be confirmed in the video clip that at the end of the Pope’s Address, the President of the General Assembly requested all delegations to remain seated while they (the President of the Assembly and the Secretary-General) accompany the Pope from the General Assembly Hall. The delegations were expected to remain within the Hall for the commencement of the Summit of the Post-2015 Development Agenda that was scheduled for 11.00.a.m. immediately after the Pope’s Address.

The Nigerian Tribune in its Editorial under review further misguided the public that:   “Worse still, he was unable to participate in sideline events scheduled to address issues relating to Boko Haram and the resulting problems of internally displaced persons…On the session titled “Lake Chad Basin at A Crossroads: Addressing Urgent Humanitarian Needs in An Overlooked Crisis,” which was to address Boko Haram and internally displaced persons, embassy officials failed to list it in the President’s itinerary.  The latter event was organized on the sideline by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and chaired by Stephen O’Brien, undersecretary general of the UN….”

It is erroneous to state that Mr. President did not participate in the event (to which he was not invited) because “embassy officials failed to list it in the President’s itinerary.” The Mission meticulously compiled a list of all the events and meetings (27 pages in all) to which the President was invited. It must be stated categorically that Mr. President was not invited to this event.

The only Boko Haram-related event that directly concerned the President was held on Saturday, 26th September, 2015. The Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with the Republic of Benin and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), co-hosted this event titled “Curbing the threat of Boko Haram and building stability in affected countries: A long-term strategy to build community resilience, particularly of women, adolescent girls and young people.” A copy of the programme of the event is attached with this Rejoinder. The Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Professor U. Joy Ogwu, delivered the President’s statement at the event.

The Editorial neither mentioned the above event nor was there any reference that the issues of terrorism, Boko Haram and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), featured prominently at all meetings and events on the schedule of the President. This is unprofessional. Please, be informed that each of the following meetings had a component of issues on terrorism, Boko Haram and IDPs in it.

i) Bilateral meeting/dialogue with His Majesty, Don Felipe VI, King of the Kingdom of Spain, on Friday 25th September, 2015;

ii) Bilateral meeting/dialogue with H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping, the President of the People’s Republic of China, on Sunday 27th September, 2015;

iii) Bilateral meeting/dialogue with H.E. The Rt. Hon. David Cameron, UK Prime Minister, on Sunday 27th September, 2015;

iv) Bilateral meeting/dialogue with H.E.  Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea, on Sunday 27th September, 2015;

v) Bilateral meeting/dialogue with His Majesty, King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, on Monday 28th September, 2015;

vi) Bilateral meeting/dialogue with the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Kimoon on Monday 28th September, 2015. Mr. Stephen O’Brien, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, was at this meeting. Neither him nor the Secretary-General complained that Mr. President did not attend a meeting organized by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator on Boko Haram;

vii) At the General Debate of Monday 28th September, 2015 where Mr. President addressed other World Leaders, he spoke on the issues copiously.

vii) Global Leaders’ Summit on Countering ISIL and Violent Extremism, organized by the US Government, on Tuesday 29th September, 2015;

ix) Meeting with Mr. Christopher Stone, President of Open Society Foundation and Mrs. Julia Stasch, President of MacArthur Foundation, on Tuesday 29th September, 2015.

It is beyond dispute that Mr. President utilized all necessary opportunities of interacting effectively with world leaders and at all meetings he had during the period to discuss security and humanitarian issues bedeviling the Lake Chad Basin countries.  Against this backdrop, it is unfair to accuse the government of insensitivity to the plight of those affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

Unfortunately, the Editorial of the Nigerian Tribune and a few other media organizations that published sensational stories under different headlines on Nigeria’s performance at the 70th UNGA, did not draw attention to the successes of Mr. President’s visit to New York. They did not underline his brilliant participation at the various meetings that he attended by which Nigeria’s visibility has been enhanced globally. What about his numerous bilateral engagements with the leading countries? There was no emphasis on the very high-point of Mr. President’s activities in New York, which was the successful delivery of his “message-ful” address at the General Debate, at the end of which leaders who gathered to congratulate and appreciate him cut across different continents.

As expected, the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, New York, efficiently organized all bilateral meetings and facilitated Mr. President’s participation at all events and meetings during the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly. His participation at these meetings and events was described as exceptional by many African and non-African countries. In spite of this, the author of the ill-conceived Editorial made unguarded remarks about the Mission and its staff, using words such as “the ineptitude and poor attitude of the Nigerian mission staff in New York.” 

We conducted a review of some news reports about the participation of leaders of some Member States of the UN by media organizations from their countries. It was realized that different media houses projected the images of their country brilliantly by publishing positive stories about the participation of their leaders at the UN during the period. We are yet to read any single news report with sensational stories or that celebrated falsehood like the Editorial of the Nigerian Tribune and the likes did.

The Editorial should have identified and analyzed the likely benefits accruable to Nigeria as a result of Mr. President’s first visit to the United Nations. It would have analyzed the expected outcomes of the various important meetings and events that Mr. President attended for the good of our country. It would have engaged the public in a robust intellectual discourse by analyzing the content of Mr. President’s statements at the different events; especially the cogent issues raised viz-a-viz contemporary global thoughts and domestic challenges in Nigeria.

It is regrettable to note that this Editorial demonstrates its author’s marked ignorance of the basic knowledge of the machinery and procedures of the UN General Assembly in the 21st century. This coming from the Nigerian Tribune is rather disappointing! Therefore, for the future, we advise anyone who wishes to publish a credible Editorial or article on the United Nations and how its meetings are organized, to acquire robust knowledge and understanding of the differences between bilateral and multilateral engagements in diplomatic relations. It is equally important to understand the setting in which multilateral engagements in the United Nations are conducted. In particular, it is advisable for journalists who wish to write on the UN General Assembly to conduct necessary research for the purposes of understanding the dynamics of the Assembly, especially during the High Level Segment of its annual Session, which is the focus of this Editorial of the Nigerian Tribune.

Indeed, we advise the Editorial Board of the Nigerian Tribune and all media organizations that aspire to preserve their integrity to verify any information at their disposal before maligning people and institutions in their publications. This is in-line with the ethics of journalism, which the author of this Editorial has deliberately violated.

Certainly, the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, New York, deserves an unreserved apology from the Nigerian Tribune for maligning the Mission and its staff in this Editorial. It is equally necessary for the Nigerian Tribune to apologize to the Public for this Editorial, which contains misleading information, misrepresentations and inaccuracies.