Recall: Correspondence with Maduekwe distorted, says Rotimi
By Bunmi Oni, 02.19.2009


Recalled Nigeria Ambassador to the United States, Brig. Gen. Oluwole Rotimi (rtd), has said the account given by Foreign Affairs Minister Ojo Maduekwe of the correspondence between him and the minister where he allegedly referred to Maduekwe as a tribalist is inaccurate.


He also said the reference to the defeat of Biafra in the correspondence was completely out of context.




Rotimi reacted for the first time on the altercation between him and the minister, for which President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua approved his recall home, in a statement he posted on the website.

The ambassador said he had no intention to cast any aspersion on any ethnic community in Nigeria, having worked and continue to work for the unity of the country.

President Yar’Adua had approved Rotimi’s recall for “gross insubordination.”

Rotimi’s recall had stemmed from his running disagreement with Maduekwe over issues bordering on activities of the mission, policy, protocol and hierarchy.

The disagreement that was said to have started last year resulted in a series of correspondence between Maduekwe and Rotimi, culminating in a letter written by the latter in which he allegedly called the minister a tribalist.

He also reportedly boasted: “I have dealt with people like you in the past. I was the Adjutant -General of the Nigerian army that thoroughly defeated your ragtag Biafran army.”

Maduekwe who was piqued by the contents of the letter, particularly the reference to the Biafran War, had formally complained to the President in a memo attaching Rotimi’s letter.

Maduekwe had in the letter to the President stated: “This man (Rotimi) has no temperament to be an ambassador of Nigeria in our most important mission.

“This is a strategic assessment of the situation. Anyone who has such a disposition may not be able to handle the Nigerian embassy in Washington, which is deemed in Nigerian diplomatic circles as a strategic and sensitive mission.

“The recommendation that he be recalled has to do with his capacity to run the place. It is not personal.”

Three days ago, the amabassador was given 44 days, around end of March, to return to Nigeria.

Rotimi’s statement entitled, “Ambassador Oluwole Rotimi Statement” read: “I wish to acknowledge receipt of the message of the Honourable  Minister of Foreign Affairs conveying the directive of His Excellency the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Umar Musa YarAdua, (GCFR) recalling me as his  principal representative in the  United States of America. I will dutifully comply with this order.

“However, I wish to also seize this opportunity to correct some misconception and distortion attributed to the Honorable Minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe by the media.

“The little snippet of information released to the press stating that in the exchange of correspondence between us, I called him a tribalist is inaccurate. In addition, the reference to the defeat of "Biafra" was completely taken out of context.

“Moreover, I would like to assure all patriotic Nigerians that I have no intention to cast any aspersion on any ethnic community in Nigeria. I have always believed in and worked for and will continue to work for the unity of Nigeria even when I am not in the public service.

“I have had the privilege and honor to serve under distinguished and gallant senior officers of different ethnic backgrounds in my service to the Nigerian Army. In addition, the God Almighty has blessed me with children whose mother is half Igbo and half Yoruba.

“Finally, let me state with all my heart that this distortion is deeply regretted and I honestly apologize to anyone who has felt slighted in any form.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
http://odili.net/news/source/2009/feb/19/211.html

I called him a tribalist is inaccurate. In addition, the reference to the defeat of "Biafra" was completely taken out of context

If he didn't call madueke a tribalist, why was Biafra mentioned in their discussion and what is this out of context claim?

Can't read all the post but i thought the miss yarn was in a letter he wrote to OJO. We don't know who to believe now.

Can't read all the post but i thought the miss yarn was in a letter he wrote to OJO. We don't know who to believe now.

I think they want to take him out but they should make sure he's replaced with another Yoruba man because everything was shared according to quota.

let him goooooooooooooooooo.

Even if he is saying the truth?. Is that how we dish out our own justice in Nigeria?

What has Biafra got to do within the diplomatic mission of Nigeria in USA? Olowule Rotimi, to the best of my knowledge, introduced the ethnic sentiment and Biafra issue in the correspondence he had with foreign minister. This ranting about out of context is very childish and typical. If this tribal bigot had no intension of casting any aspersion on ethnic community in Nigeria, how did the country that ceases to exist found her way into the diplomatic matters of Nigeria in far away USA?

Dede1:

What has Biafra got to do within the diplomatic mission of Nigeria in USA? Olowule Rotimi, to the best of my knowledge, introduced the ethnic sentiment and Biafra issue in the correspondence he had with foreign minister. This ranting about out of context is very childish and typical. If this tribal bigot had no intension of casting any aspersion on ethnic community in Nigeria, how did the country that ceases to exist found her way into the diplomatic matters of Nigeria in far away USA?

i hate to say this and i never knew a day like this would ever come but i agree with this comment,i have read both accounts and its clear that the man was totally wrong and out of order in his comments,its just a template of how arrogant so called nigerian leaders are,especially an arm chair officer who didnt even fight on the frontline,as much as i dont like madueke i agree with his memo to the president,tribalists same as racists shouldnt have any place in a modern society

St.Funmi:

I think they want to take him out but they should make sure he's replaced with another Yoruba man because everything was shared according to quota.

Sorry Miss Quota, there is no such thing as quota system in the appointment of Ambassadors. It is a matter of President’s discretion on the advice of the president’s inner circle to appoint an Ambassador. I do not know if the Senate had to confirm such appointee.

St.Funmi = DeepZone = Hot Funmi = earTHMama?

Does the above equation have a Nyquist stability point?

@ Posters
pls note that that ROTIMI is not related to me at all! He must be a general but a fine diplomat? Hell no! Let him come back and become a farmer somewhere at Otta, Who knows, one day, he will become a President! Tempramental ex-general, now ex-diplomat!

the Oluwole guy did not deny writing a inciteful letter that warranted getting a recall.quite typical of a Nigerian bred military man.

i hereby pronounce him guilty.he should defend himself by releasing a copy of his correspondence to the Foreign Affairs Minister

Yar'Adua is my man and Madueke also seems to be OK , but this situation wasn't handled appropriately.
We must note that Ambassador Oluwole is a diplomatic official of the highest rank that represents Nigeria in United States.
An administration shouldn't allow personal conflict between 2 federal government officials to compromise our national sovereignty.
From the presented information, it would have been better to invite Oluwole back home immediately and attempt to iron things out between the 2.
In my view, I do not think it's proper to sack one based on the information given by the other one.

And absolutely, we need not to expose our dirty laundry to the world.
Nigerian leaders should recognize the fact that they are all representing a country and not their individual villages.

These folks from the bottom to the top are killing poor Nigeria.

Yar'Adua is my man and Madueke also seems to be OK , but this situation wasn't handled appropriately.
We must note that Ambassador Oluwole is a diplomatic official of the highest rank that represents Nigeria in United States.
An administration shouldn't allow personal conflict between 2 federal government officials to compromise our national sovereignty.
From the presented information, it would have been better to invite Oluwole back home immediately and attempt to iron things out between the 2.
In my view, I do not think it's proper to sack one based on the information given by the other one.

And absolutely, we need not to expose our dirty laundry to the world.
Nigerian leaders should recognize the fact that they are all representing a country and not their individual villages.

These folks from the bottom to the top are killing poor Nigeria.

Irrespective of how yaradua handled it, what if the man is innocent?. Should he be punished for a crime he didn't commit?. I am suspecting yaradua and madueke cooked that allegation up to put him aside. Let's wait and see whom they'll use to replace him.

If the right steps were taken to sack this man, it shouldn't matter who is picked to replace him.
I honestly feel that the selection of a replacement should be purely based on qualifications and absolutely, not because you come from my mother's village or based on how many times you're able to kiss my ass per minute.

This is the only method to effectively and efficiently move this country forward.

Big B1:

Yar'Adua is my man and Madueke also seems to be OK , but this situation wasn't handled appropriately.
We must note that Ambassador Oluwole is a diplomatic official of the highest rank that represents Nigeria in United States.
An administration shouldn't allow personal conflict between 2 federal government officials to compromise our national sovereignty.
From the presented information, it would have been better to invite Oluwole back home immediately and attempt to iron things out between the 2.
In my view, I do not think it's proper to sack one based on the information given by the other one.

And absolutely, we need not to expose our dirty laundry to the world.
Nigerian leaders should recognize the fact that they are all representing a country and not their individual villages.

These folks from the bottom to the top are killing poor Nigeria.

Rotimi was invited to "iron things out" but the "I be big man way fit yarn anything" prick ignored the overture.

If the right steps were taken to sack this man, it shouldn't matter who is picked to replace him.
I honestly feel that the selection of a replacement should be purely based on qualifications and absolutely, not because you come from my mother's village or based on how many times you're able to kiss my ass per minute.

This is the only method to effectively and efficiently move this country forward.

Each region can produce at least 10 qualified people for that job. Why i advocate for quota system is because that is how our govt was structured. Ministerial, ambassadorial, congress leadership and even the presidency were allocated by the quota system. There is no way Yaradua will strip this man of his position and hand it over to an hausa man or Edo man or any non Yoruba indigene because it'll be unfair. If you want them to use only standard to measure appointments, let them recall everybody and select them per qualification, let's see the region that will suffer most.

Lol
I see your point.

if he shot off at the mouth as claimed. the least that could have happened is for him to loose his appointment. enough of this agbero behavior people in leadership positions exhibit. i dont care if he was provoked, u act like an agbero u get treated like an agbero.

this guy is joker. he of all people should have known ojo maduekwe better. he stupidly played or even fell into a trap ojo maduekwe may or may not have set. i think im right when i say ojo maduekwe isnt everybody's cup of tea but to respond to ojo maduekwe's rant with this ' I called him a tribalist is inaccurate. In addition, the reference to the defeat of "Biafra" was completely taken out of context' is utter rubbish.

i dont give a rats a55 what context the comments may have been taken out of, you just dont say certain things. serves him right he's lost the job but i doubt he'd stay unemployed for long.

The utterance has cost him his job and he did "apologise "in that last paragraph.
People should cut him slacks.
I've forgiven him
Now lets have[b] Alhaji Chimere Adebayo Kwankwaso [/b] move on to his new post as the new ambassador

I've forgiven him

This forgiveness get as e beooo.

I doubt this man to be a career diplomat. He may have been one those IBB or Abacha boys who gate-crashed into the Nigerian Diplomatic circle due to patronage.

I doubt this man to be a career diplomat. He may have been one those IBB or Abacha boys who gate-crashed into the Nigerian Diplomatic circle due to patronage.

Here comes trouble.
Why do we have to always pull IBB's name into every single thing that goes bad?
You like it or not, IBB still represents one of the Nigerian leaders that only makes his selections based on a well proven qualification methodology; which from my point of view is the best strategy to be effective and efficient.

Big B1:

Lol
I see your point.

Good for you, but for me; whosai. . . .
For an old man to have made that statement shows that he takes so much pride in the genocide he partook in. Forunately or unfortunately, this is how most nigerians feel.

He should not only be sacked but sentenced to life imprisonment.

Imagine how Rwandans of yesterday are working positively with their own defects.

Big B1:

Here comes trouble.
Why do we have to always pull IBB's name into every single thing that goes bad?
You like it or not, IBB still represents one of the Nigerian leaders that only makes his selections based on a well proven qualification methodology; which from my point of view is the best strategy to be effective and efficient.

Big B1

You crack me up   You are a Big Joke. I guess you didn't mean the above in bold.  What a brave man you must be to type that and still have the temerity to hit the 'Reply' button  

Defender of IBB

I wonder how much you still get from him for doing this job? Best strategy and methodology indeed - pick them, corrupt them and then dump them.

@Youngies:
Please, let us keep it clean. You need not to disrespect yourself.
You're free to see things differently; this is just how I see his selections and method of operation.

I wonder how much you still get from him for doing this job?

@Debosky:
What's up with this curiosity of yours? You need a job?

lucabrasi:

i hate to say this  and i never knew a day like this would ever come but i agree with this comment,i have read both accounts and its clear that the man was totally wrong and out of order in his comments,its just a template of how arrogant so called nigerian leaders are,especially an arm chair officer who didnt even fight on the frontline,as much as i dont like madueke i agree with his memo to the president,tribalists same as racists shouldnt have any place in a modern society

The man may be wrong, it's just that his only mistake was, saying what they normally say in private now in public. The most tragedy for Igbos are there are thousand like him and even more higher up than him shaping our future. Last week it was Umaru Dikko, who's next?

Big B1:

Here comes trouble.
Why do we have to always pull IBB's name into every single thing that goes bad?
You like it or not, IBB still represents one of the Nigerian leaders that only makes his selections based on a well proven qualification methodology; which from my point of view is the best strategy to be effective and efficient.

Here we go! one of IBB's boys.
IBB's qualification methodology you mean: like appointing Jubril Aminu minister for education? or appointing himself military president?
No matter how IBB's goons spins it, he will always be a black spot in the history of Nigeriana.

@Debosky:
What's up with this curiosity of yours? You need a job?

Yes; cleaning the Nigerian embassy in Washington.

Friday, February 20, 2009 Printer Friendly Version
How Obama's inauguration led to recall of Ambassador Rotimi

By Simon Utebor with agency report

Indications emerged on Thursday that the clash between Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe and the Nigeria's Ambassador to the United States, Brig-Gen. Oluwole Rotimi (rtd), was a fallout of the January 20 inauguration of the United States President, Mr. Barack Obama.


Empowered Newswire sources said the inability of Maduekwe to get an accreditation to the Obama inauguration for the event, might have been the last straw.

US White House and State Department protocol officers had reportedly issued the Obama inauguration accreditation to only the resident ambassadors or diplomats who were the chiefs of missions.

The officers insisted that such accreditation could not be transferred to any other top government official from their home countries.

In the case of Nigeria, sources indicated that Maduekwe had expected to be the one to take the Nigerian accreditation, since he was in town, but embassy officials were said to have insisted that the regulations did not permit such a transfer.

But one of the US officials who spoke with Empowered Newswire, said it was not only Nigerian diplomats that had this problem since many government dignitaries from Europe also wanted to have such transfers.

There was no apparent confirmation of this last night.

But Rotimi has reacted to the controversy over his recall.

In a statement made available to our correspondent, Rotimi said that he did not call Madueke a tribalist as alleged in one of the accounts of the spat

He also said that the reference to the defeat of Biafra was completely taken out of context.

The statement reads in part, "I wish to acknowledge receipt of the message of the Minister of Foreign Affairs conveying the directive of President Umaru Yar'Adua recalling me as his principal representative in the United States of America. I will dutifully comply with this order.

"However, I wish to also seize this opportunity to correct some misconceptions and distortions attributed to Chief Madueke by the media.

"The little snippet of information released to the press stating that in the exchange of correspondence between us, I called him a tribalist is inaccurate. In addition, the reference to the defeat of Biafra was completely taken out of context.

"Moreover, I would like to assure all patriotic Nigerians that I have no intention to cast any aspersion on any ethnic community in Nigeria. I have always believed in and worked for and will continue to work for the unity of Nigeria even when I am not in the public service

"I have had the privilege and honour to serve under distinguished and gallant senior officers of different ethnic backgrounds in my service to the Nigerian Army. In addition, the God Almighty has blessed me with children whose mother is half Igbo and half Yoruba.

"Finally, let me state with all my heart that this distortion is deeply regretted and I honestly apologise to anyone who has felt slighted in any form."

"God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

The official noted that the US government made it clear that such dignitaries from the capitals were welcome to celebrate in their own way during the inauguration events even though they were not technically invited to the official inauguration.

While Maduekwe arranged for a special delegation from Nigeria including himself and some other eminent Nigerians like former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku and former Nigeria Ambassador to the US Prof. George Obiozor, Rotimi had been reluctant to supporting the idea of a delegation in line with the procedure outlined by the US government.

Even US officials acknowledged the potential difficulty that was likely between Ambassadors and their principals since many delegations from other countries wanted to attend the inauguration, especially because the US itself normally sent presidential delegations to such inaugurations.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/feb/20/412.html