Envoys get task to redeem Nigeria's image abroad
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Envoys get task to redeem Nigeria's image abroad
http://odili.net/news/source/2004/jan/13/43.html
ABUJA — FOREIGN Affairs minister, Mr. Olu Adeniji said yesterday growing distrust for Nigeria by the international community was militating against economic investment in the country. Adeniji who stated this while addressing 79 newly appointed ambassadors during an induction course therefore challenged the ambassadors to take up the task of redeeming the country’s image abroad. He said so many potential investors have been turned off of doing business in Nigeria .
“I must tell you that there is a lot of misconceptions about Nigeria and Nigerians abroad by our foreign partners. We have so much potentials to be explored by investors abroad, when they hear stories about Nigeria, they become suspicious, they distrust us and say lets go somewhere else”, said Adeniji. Besides, the minister listed the need to manage the scarce resources available to the foreign missions, the fight against HIV-AIDS, the propagation of the economic policies of the government - NEEDS, (National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy) and conflict resolution as part of the challenges the ambassadors would have to confront.
“ One other major challenge for you is how to balance the country’s scarce financial resources with our foreign policy agenda. For quite sometime now the ministry has been underfunded, but we have increasing international responsibility to promote national or African interest. “The reason for this financial predicament is that you submit a budgetary proposal based on what you require in the ministry, but it is reduced by one third; usually when this happens you are bound to have problems. “We have also been tasked to help the present government towards making the economic agenda succeed,” said the minister, adding that the induction course was to take the appointed ambassadors through the whole essence of foreign relations.
Adeniji said being cleared by the senate, should not mean that the appointed ambassadors have gone through all the challenges, stressing that the “real challenges are just beginning”.
we need a makeover. But just having a meeting and talks and so won't do it. The populace as a whole has to change and the fat cats have to make that possible from changing naijas image from within. They can go abroad with all kind of envoys, but if they really want change it starts at home and how they trat and care for the masses as a whole.................
ABUJA — FOREIGN Affairs minister, Mr. Olu Adeniji said yesterday growing distrust for Nigeria by the international community was militating against economic investment in the country. Adeniji who stated this while addressing 79 newly appointed ambassadors during an induction course therefore challenged the ambassadors to take up the task of redeeming the country’s image abroad. He said so many potential investors have been turned off of doing business in Nigeria .
“I must tell you that there is a lot of misconceptions about Nigeria and Nigerians abroad by our foreign partners. We have so much potentials to be explored by investors abroad, when they hear stories about Nigeria, they become suspicious, they distrust us and say lets go somewhere else”, said Adeniji. Besides, the minister listed the need to manage the scarce resources available to the foreign missions, the fight against HIV-AIDS, the propagation of the economic policies of the government - NEEDS, (National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy) and conflict resolution as part of the challenges the ambassadors would have to confront.
“ One other major challenge for you is how to balance the country’s scarce financial resources with our foreign policy agenda. For quite sometime now the ministry has been underfunded, but we have increasing international responsibility to promote national or African interest. “The reason for this financial predicament is that you submit a budgetary proposal based on what you require in the ministry, but it is reduced by one third; usually when this happens you are bound to have problems. “We have also been tasked to help the present government towards making the economic agenda succeed,” said the minister, adding that the induction course was to take the appointed ambassadors through the whole essence of foreign relations.
Adeniji said being cleared by the senate, should not mean that the appointed ambassadors have gone through all the challenges, stressing that the “real challenges are just beginning”.
we need a makeover. But just having a meeting and talks and so won't do it. The populace as a whole has to change and the fat cats have to make that possible from changing naijas image from within. They can go abroad with all kind of envoys, but if they really want change it starts at home and how they trat and care for the masses as a whole.................