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African
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The Federal Government
has instituted a panel of inquiry to investigate Nigeria’s failure to clinch
the post of Commissioner for Peace and Security at the African Union (AU), the
News Agency of Nigeria has reported.
Nigeria
contested for the position of the post at the AU meeting in Addis Ababa on
January 30 and lost the election to the incumbent, Algeria.
Citing
presidential sources, NAN said the constitution of the panel was informed by
the reported acts of sabotage leveled against some staff of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
The
source said already a senior staff of the ministry had been identified as the
brain behind the plot against Nigeria before and during the election.
“A
serving Director and two retired Permanent Secretaries with reported ties to
one of the candidates from a friendly country that vied for the same position
of Commissioner, Peace and Security, were said to be behind the illegal,
fraudulent and highly unpatriotic issuance of these infamous Notes.
“The
serving director had since been issued with a query.
“This,
certainly, is another case of suspected fraud and corruption which, by the way,
is also endemic in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in its more than 100
missions abroad.”
According
to the source, the official single-handedly wrote a letter to express Nigeria’s
support for the Algerian candidate despite a Nigerian, Fatima Kyari, running
for the same position.
“Clearly,
therefore, Nigeria’s failure to clinch the post can only be attributed to other
factors and not the quality of the candidate.
“In
this kind of elections, countries base their voting pattern more on political
and other considerations than on the substantive quality (competence, skills,
experience) of candidates.
“This
pattern is clearly reflected in the elections of all the other categories,
including that of the Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson of the AU
Commission.
“”Most
worrisome and unfortunate is the issue of the so-called Note Verbal issued by
our embassies in Addis Ababa and Algiers, conveying a decision by the Federal
Government of Nigeria to withdraw from the race in favour of Algeria. The truth
is that there was no such decision by the government,’’ he said.
The
source said Nigeria deserved to be commended for the way it reacted to the
outcome of the election.
“If
anything, the Government deserves commendation for keeping calm and abstaining
to raise dust, despite initial indication of an external influence in the
issuance of these highly embarrassing Notes,” the source said.
The
presidential source also disclosed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Geoffrey Onyeama, chaired the selection process where prospective candidates
were shortlisted.
Mr.
Onyeama, he said, also chaired the interview panel which graded and recommended
names of candidates for the consideration of Mr. President.
He
said Fatima Kyari was graded as second best candidate along with another female
candidate even though all the other candidates were also found to be competent.
“However,
only one candidate was to be selected. While only Mr. President and possibly
those who were privy to the final selection process could say why Fatima and
not any of the other three highest rated candidates was approved, the AU rule
regarding gender parity, might have been a determining factor in favour of a
female candidate.
“”The
rule requires that the two Commissioners from each of the five regions must be
a male and a female.
“”While
Nigeria was still on the selection process – as always we were running late –Senegal
and Ghana had already put forward candidates for the two top most posts of
Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson respectively.’’
He
maintained that Ms. Kyari’s proficiency in French language, among other set of
skills, also stood in her favour.
The
source also dismissed the insinuation that Ms. Kyari was “inexperience” and
“incompetent” for the seat.
He
noted that the AU contracted an independent consulting firm that evaluated,
assessed and cleared those who were adjudged to have the requisite skills,
experience and competence to hold the positions they wanted to compete for.
He
said that Ms. Kyari went through this process as all other candidates did, and
was duly cleared otherwise she would not have been allowed to run.
“It,
therefore, amounts to ignorance, malice and/or mischief to label the candidate
as inexperienced and incompetent to serve as Commissioner at the AUC.
“The
candidate is indeed highly qualified not only by the assessment of the AU
consultants, but also by the testimonies of many other African and non-African
personalities, bodies and organizations.
“She
is skilful, competent and experienced to do the job very well and indeed add
value into the job with new and pragmatic ideas.”
The
source recalled that Fatimah was selected, along with 12 other African
mid-career leaders, for the 2016 Africa Program of the Eisenhower Fellowship in
the United States, but could not participate because it coincided with the
preparations for the AUC election.
He
also dismissed the report claiming that Fatima Kyari is the daughter of Chief
of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.
“The
assertion, including in some major media, that Fatima is the daughter of the
Chief of Staff to the President is utterly callous and malicious, clearly made
with the intention to generate bad feelings against not only the Chief of Staff
but the President, and to also denigrate the candidate by associating her to
nepotism.
“This
is much so because it does not take anything to crosscheck her lineage, if no
malice was intended and if professionalism was a motivating, and guiding
factor.’’
According to him, the Chief of Staff met her for the first time ever after she became Nigeria’s candidate.
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