Nigeria to shut non viable embassies

David Mark

Nigeria to shut non viable embassies
Obiora Ani, Abuja

Nigeria’s Senate President, David Mark, has asked the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to take a critical look at the country’s embassies and high commissions and recommend for closure, those that are not viable.

Senator Mark said this at the confirmation of eighty five of the eighty eight Ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the Senate by President Goodluck Jonathan for approval and confirmation in the National Assembly, Abuja.

Mark who said that it is not mandatory for Nigeria to keep all its missions ,said it was a big embarrassment that some Nigerian embassies and high commissions were full of myriads of problems .

Two of the nominees are to reappear before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for further screening, while the third, the wife of the former Biafran Warlord, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, a special candidate ,will appear before the committee after the burial of her husband, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu later in the year.

Briefing Senate Correspondents after plenary, the Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Matthew Nwagwu, said the remaining nominees would be screened within a week to enable the government deploy the envoys in the shortest possible time.

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