By Milton Tella – The Nigeria High Commissioner to the Court of St James’s, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola has been highly commended for the giant strides attained since his assumption of duty at the High Commission London by the lower chamber of the bicameral National Assembly.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila and a delegation of lower arm of the National Assembly, who were in London recently applauded the Ambassador’s managerial prowess especially in the area of building a united Nigeria in the Diaspora.
Honourable Gbajabiamila further underscored Ambassador Isola’s approach towards easing passport-processing challenges in the UK.
The Honourable Speaker informed the diplomats that his Courtesy Visit to the Nigeria High Commission, London, which is the flagship Embassy of Nigeria, was long overdue. He disclosed that Nigeria is working on partnering with the United Kingdom to situate a standard Parliamentary Library in Nigeria.
He stated that the visit would enable him and his delegation to meet with the UK Parliament and the UK House of Commons, tap from their experience and exchange ideas. He stated that all channels of parliamentary diplomacy must be explored, whereby the legislative and executive are involved to help strengthen the relationship between Nigeria and UK.
Mr. Speaker recalled that parliamentary diplomacy was adopted in Ghana, South Africa (during the xenophobic attacks which doused the tension) and in Ukraine. He stated that this type of diplomacy would also be implemented to strengthen the ties of Nigeria and the United Kingdom for good. He also stated that the Nigeria High Commission is the face of Nigeria in the UK and the parliamentarians would work towards making this administration conducive in terms of welfare and budget.
The Honourable Speaker further informed that meeting with professional associations would be reconsidered for a much later date to give room for better consultation. He explained that it would be an opportunity to educate the Nigeria community in the UK on the issue of diaspora voting and address grey areas that surround the diaspora voting such as the legal, technical and constitutional matters.
A member of his delegation, Honourable Tolulope Akande suggested that National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Diaspora Commission should be given desks at the High Commission due to the new dynamics in migration. Mr. Akin Alabi, Member of the House of Representative, enquired about the challenges with passport issuance in the UK and the average time to process the Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC).
Honourable Igaza opined that the Mission should be more proactive in correcting the negative narrative on security issues. He further commended the Honourable Speaker, Gbajabiamila for championing the release of funds for foreign embassies and advised that embassies should initiate ways to generate funds for some of its activities.
Responding to issues raised by others, Mr. Speaker agreed on the need for other agencies to be considered to have a desk at the Nigeria High Commission and this has to be achieved by mandating the agencies to statutorily work according to the budget allocated to them. He suggested that the High Commission should draft a framework that would mandate the required agencies to operate in the High Commission and the House of Representatives would build on the framework accordingly.
Mr. Speaker pledged his continuous support towards ensuring adequate funding for the Mission and requested that the High Commission should forward the need assessment of the Mission to the Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee and the House would act appropriately.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila also commended Honourable Igaza Jonathan, the Chairman library and research, representing Karu, Keffi; Honourable Tolulope Akande Shodipe, Chairman of the House on Diaspora representing Oluyole, Ibadan and Mr. Akin Alabi, Chairman Inter-Governmental Affairs, representing Egbeda, Oyo State for their support towards ensuring the successful planning of the trip.
The Nigeria High Commissioner, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola during his remark appreciated Mr. Speaker for his visit to the Nigeria High Commission London. He applauded the House of Representative Members for their support towards ensuring the smooth running of Mr. Speaker’s regime and commended Mr. Speaker’s leadership based on three (3) Core values: Humility, Capacity and Capability. Furthermore, the High Commissioner recalled his visit to the office of the Speaker of the UK Parliament and enumerated some of the issues discussed with the speaker. Ambassador Isola informed that for the first time in history, the Nigerian flag was flown at the Westminster for the whole day.
The High Commissioner disclosed that passport racketeers operate in the UK just as in Nigeria. He informed that the challenges on passport issuance have been sorted since May 2021, although National Identification Number (NIN) is the present challenge affecting the smooth production of passports on a daily basis.
He stated that the Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) could be gotten within 24hours with the data page of applicant, flight itinerary and other relevant requirements in place.
Ambassador Cyprian T. Heen PhD., Minister/Head (Political Affairs Section) who gave the opening remarks, welcomed the Honourable Speaker Rt. Femi Gbajabiamila and his entourage, commended him for his outstanding performance as the Speaker of the 9th Assembly.
He disclosed that Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) serve as the eyes, ears and voice of Nigeria under the auspices of bilateral relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. He briefed Mr. Speaker on the likely issues that may be placed before him in the course of his engagement with his UK counterpart; especially the security issues in Nigeria.
Members of the House of Representatives delegation led by Rt. Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila – Speaker House of Representatives were Honourable Tolulope Akande – Chairman of the House on Diaspora, Honourable Igaza Jonathan – Chairman Library and Research, Hon. Akin Alabi – Chairman Inter-Governmental Affairs, Mr. Dapo Oyewole – Special Adviser (International Affairs & Political), Mr. Lanre Lasisi – Special Adviser (Media), Mr. Adamu – Special Adviser (ICT), Ms. Solape Sonuga – Delegate and Ms. Chimdi Neliaku – Delegate.
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