Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are calling for the investigation of a pet project that Ojo Maduekwe, Nigeria’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, rushed into play last weekend, days after he was supposed to have handed the affairs of the ministry over to the permanent secretary. Saharareporters sources at the Ministry revealed that Maduekwe last weekend summoned the legal adviser of the ministry to his residence, ahead of the March 22 handing-over, to fine-tune legal documents on the installation and operationalization of the project, an ICT-Global Communication Network costing the ministry 900,000 US dollars. All of that was being done several days after Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved the cabinet.

Our sources said the staff was concerned about the state of the ICT equipment, installation of which has been completed at the High Commission in London as one of the 16 pilot cases.

At his handing-over to Permanent Secretary Martins Uhomoibhi, Maduekwe, pontificated extensively about corruption and lack of transparency in the Ministry, but Saharareporters findings show he left the ministry badly run and looted.

Mr. Maduekwe commissioned 1st October Publisher, Fidelis Anosike, who bought the Daily Times but could not see to its takeoff, to produce a commemorative and pictorial book on “Nigeria at 50” at an astonishing total cost of N300 million. The publication, which was supposed to have focused on the history and progress of the nation’s foreign policy, is costing the ministry N175 million, with Nigerian missions abroad being forcefully compelled by Maduekwe to contribute the other N175 million. Some of those missions are so poor they often have difficulty paying Nigerian diplomats.

Among his curious actions before handing over, Maduekwe directed the ministry to pay $100,000 dollars for a chartered flight for an aborted 12–day tour of Eastern and Southern African countries he had billed for Sunday March 27, 2010. Due to his sack Mr. Maduekwe could not make that trip, but according to ministry officials, and despite his long speech about corruption, he had already collected his 12 days estacode upfront.

A source told Saharareporters that the minister had also just returned from a 10-day tour of Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Angola, where he claimed to have been on tour, to preach what he called “Neighborhood Diplomacy,” following the failure of his so-called “Citizen Diplomacy.”

With reference to Maduekwe’s delay in handing over, Presidency sources say Madueke wrote a memo to the Ag. President Goodluck Jonathan asking that he should be allowed to conclude some outstanding diplomatic meetings, but Jonathan turned him down.

Some of the commitments include UN-US Ministerial International Donor’s Conference on Haiti, scheduled for March 31in New York; the ongoing ECOWAS International Conference on Two Decades of Peace Processes in West Africa; and the signing of the Framework Agreement for establishing the Nigeria-US Bi-national Commission scheduled for April 7 in Washington D.C. Our analysts said the request was framed to give Jonathan the impression he was indispensable as Nigeria’s foreign minister.

Saharareporters sources in the ministry describe Mr. Maduekwe as the “most incompetent minister” to ever lead foreign affairs for Nigeria. They cited his ridiculous travel budgets and frivolous trips which they said kept him on the road most of the time doing nothing but traveling for fun. On one occasion during his last trip to the United Kingdom, Maduekwe reportedly traveled with “Miss Nigeria.”

Regarding Haiti, the minister has not been able to fulfill the net amount promised Haiti by Nigeria towards its relief efforts, nor did he deliver on a promise to send 50 Nigerians to help with relief efforts in the earthquake-ravaged nation. One source in the ministry said that when all is said and done, Maduekwe and those in the foreign missions that he has recommended for probe might be sharing the same cell at the EFCC before long.

Link:

http://www.saharareporters.com/real-news/sr-headlines/5648-how-incompetent-ojo-maduekwe-looted-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-.html