EXCLUSIVE: UN counters Nigeria, says country properly invited to missed Boko Haram meeting
September 29, 2015Nicholas Ibekwe

Muhammadu Buhari at UN General Assembly
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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (UNOCHA), has told PREMIUM TIMES that Nigeria was officially informed and properly invited to a high-level event in New York where the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin was discussed.
This is contrary to the claims by the Nigerian presidency that the country was neither informed nor invited to the meeting where Nigeria’s neighbours and key humanitarian agencies brainstormed on how to tackle the refugee crisis caused by the conflict.
The event was organised by UN Under-Secretary-General, Stephen O’Brien, but Nigeria, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, was absent.
Reuters news agency reported last week that U.S. and European Union diplomats were disappointed that Nigeria was not represented at the meeting.
The news of the absence of the Nigerian delegation at the meeting attracted condemnation back home with many blaming it on the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint ministers.
They argued that a competent minister of foreign affairs would have ensured that the country was represented at the meeting where such an important issue was discussed.
In an email to PREMIUM TIMES, on Sunday, backed up with a list of events the President’s delegation was invited to participate, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, insisted the presidency did not get an invite to attend the meeting.
“There is no record of any invitation to the Nigerian Mission as confirmed by the Permanent Representative, Prof Joy Ogwu,” he said.
But a spokesperson for UNOCHA, Jens Laerke, who is based in Geneva, told PREMIUM TIMES over the telephone that not only was the office of the Permanent Representative of the Nigerian Mission to the United Nations officially informed and invited for the event, an invite was in fact sent to the office of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, prior to the departure of the Nigerian delegation to the UNGA.
“I’m almost 100 per cent sure that Nigeria was invited. One of the reasons was that I read the original speech by O’Brien in which he acknowledged the presence of the Nigerian government,” he said.
Mr Laerke, however, asked to be allowed to double-check with his colleague in New York, who was in charge of inviting participants for the meeting. He called back four hours later after checking with his organisation’s New York office.
“I’ve just been in contact with my colleague in New York and we can assure you that the government of Nigeria was invited to the event and my colleagues in New York did what they could to ensure that they were provided with the invitation,” he said.
When asked which organ of the Nigerian government the invite was sent to, Mr Laerke responded: “Actually, the government was invited both by direct communication to the Vice President and then subsequently through the permanent representation in New York.
“My colleague told me he actually went there personally to hand over the invitation to make sure they receive the invitation. We really made an effort to make sure the government was aware of the invitation because we really want them to come.”
When asked to for documentary evidence that the Nigerian mission was actually informed, and indeed received and acknowledged the invitation, Mr Laerke demanded an official letter before that could be made available.

Okay

Bubu slept off.

This settles it. The FG has been found out. I'll advice they acknowledge their mistake rather than trade blames.

watch out , APC will soon blame Jonathan

how on earth sef would there be a meeting about bokoharam and Nigeria will not be invited? the dullard thinks that!!!!!!well he is talking to baboons and monkeys nndi isi oji what do the know? everything is true provided it comes from the mouth of their demented leader.the dictator himself,the idi amin de second

mauriceju2:
watch out , APC will soon blame Jonathan

And another person will blame Okonjo Iweala too. I non mention name oo but use your head. lol

Everything still points at the failure of Buhari to appoint a foreign affsirs ministers, whose job it would have been, to lead in the coordination and prioritisation of mumu's UN activities.

Useless Government.

Mtcheew, its ok.

Buhari is something else. Each time he goes outside to represent the country, he must fumble, why? May be it has to do with old age or could it incompetence? or ignorance? or dullness? or something

omolami:
Buhari is something else. Each time he goes outside to represent the country, he must fumble, why? May be it has to do with old age or could it incompetence? or ignorance? or dullness? or something

Anyone who has ever partaken in a leadership seminar would tell you the answer, learning to delegate duty. However since we have no ministers, we will keep seeing such "fumbling"

omolami:
Buhari is something else. Each time he goes outside to represent the country, he must fumble, why? May be it has to do with old age or could it incompetence? or ignorance? or dullness? or something

you answered your own question

Buhari and senile apc members are thick liars and deceivers. very soon we will know Buhari and tinubu true mission to Nigeria. others countries are moving forward and we are going backward. a president that can not conclude a sentence without consulting his note.

BushidoBlue:


Anyone who has ever partaken in a leadership seminar would tell you the answer, learning to delegate duty. However since we have no ministers, we will keep seeing such "fumbling"

Okay we dont have ministers and we have missed a bloody meeting and so what?

Abeg is there any clueless oga in town

Abeg is there any clueless sheriff in town