FACT-CHECK: Nigerian govt. lied, UN meeting it failed to attend not “unofficial”

September 27, 2015



Contrary to claims by the Nigerian presidency that a meeting at the 70th United Nations General Assembly to discuss the humanitarian crisis posed by the activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group was unofficial, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report today that the meeting is a “high-level” one convened as one of the most important events of the ongoing United Nations annual summit in New York

The meeting tagged “High Level Event on the Lake Chad Basin” held Friday at the Conference Room 1 of the United Nations headquarters in New York.

It was convened by Stephen O’Brien, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General of Humanitarian Affairs and held as part of the of the UN Sustainable Development Summit, which opened Friday.

“The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, is an arm of the United Nations secretariat and a meeting organised by it on an issue threatening Nigeria’s existence cannot be described as unofficial,” said a respected Nigerian diplomat who requested not to be named so as not to anger the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The diplomat believes President Buhari should request Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Joy Ogwu, to explain why her office failed to identify the meeting as one of the key ones Nigeria should have attended at the ongoing summit.

“This is definitely a diplomatic blunder,” the diplomat said. “It portrayed us as an unserious country and the President should bring culpable officials to book rather than offer tepid excuses.”

Reuters was first to report the Nigeria’s non attendance at the meeting convened to principally discuss an issue affecting Nigeria the most.

“But while the radical Islamist militants operate out of Nigeria and U.N. aid chief Stephen O’Brien said that is where most people have been displaced by their attacks, Nigeria did not send anyone to the United Nations event,” Reuters reported. “U.S. and European Union diplomats said they were disappointed that Nigeria did not attend the event chaired by O’Brien on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.”

The Nigerian presidency, in a statement Saturday, however, claimed that “The meeting at which Nigeria was reportedly absent was not one of the official events of the United Nations for which President Muhammadu Buhari and his modest delegation are in New York”.

But contrary to attempts by the government to downplay the importance of the meeting and portray it as low level engagement, organisers and diplomats say the gathering was one of the most important meetings concerning the destructive militancy and terrorism ravaging Nigeria and its neighbours.

Aside top UN and EU officials, as well as heads of international nongovernmental organisations who participated, the meeting was also attended by the Prime Minister of Niger, Brigi Rafini and Chad’s Foreign Minister, Moussa Faki Mahamat.

A brochure of the meeting listed “High level representation from the government of Nigeria” among the panelists expected to speak at the meeting.

Due to its importance, the meeting was also broadcast on official UN online television and radio channels.

At the meeting, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. O’Brien reminded the world to pay attention to the Lake Chad Basin, now an epicentre of “violence and terror” where children as young as six-years old have been used as suicide bombers and the scene of the fastest-growing displacement crisis in Africa.

“A quarter of a million people have fled across borders,” told the high-level meeting. “Many have walked hundreds of kilometres from Nigeria to Cameroon, Chad and Niger, in the most appalling conditions.”

Mr. O’Brien, appealed to countries in the region to give relief workers access to those in need and also called for urgent financial contributions to the under-funded operations.

“If we disregard the huge scale of humanitarian needs, we could all pay a high price,” he said.

Describing the people in the Lake Chad Basin, which straddles Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, as “some of the poorest and most resilient in the world,” the top UN humanitarian official said “now the region has also become an epicentre of violence and terror.”

“The emergence of Boko Haram has pushed them over the edge,” he said. “Over the past five months, a sharp increase in attacks by Boko Haram has uprooted 500,000 children, bringing the total number of children on the run in northeast Nigeria and neighbouring countries to over 1.4 million.”

He described the “appalling impact on women and children, who are being abducted, abused, raped, exploited, trafficked, and forced to work as porters and lookouts,” and “children as young as six years old have been used as suicide bombers.”

“With so many other humanitarian crises on the international agenda, we hear relatively little about the horrors taking place in the Lake Chad Basin,” he said. “And yet this is the scene of the fastest-growing displacement crisis in Africa, with 2.3 million people forced from their homes since May 2013.”

Mr. O’Brien warned that the future of the region, where business activity is reportedly down by 80 percent, “looks even bleaker, as farmers are unable to tend their fields and trade in some areas is at a standstill.”

UN agencies like the World Food Programme, the UN refugee agency and the UN Children’s Programme (UNICEF) echoed Mr. O’Brien in presenting a grim humanitarian picture of the region and appealing for greater international support to their efforts to reach those in desperate need.
As a fallout of the meeting the Nigerian government dismissed as “unofficial”, the United States announced $6.8 million in funding for regional aid efforts.




http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/190652-fact-check-nigerian-govt-lied-un-meeting-it-failed-to-attend-not-unofficial.html

e don tay we dey lie
meanwhile Buhari still need to use his own APC broom to sweep more of those liars out
FTC once again

Propaganda government.

They don't even report the incessant bombings that has been worse of in the last two weeks, so as to portray this government as a working and efficient government.

But guess what? As they hide all this bombings happening everyday in the north, the question is: who does it affect? It is still the same northerners that are being bombed and killed everyday and they think they are doing them good hiding the everyday killings.

Anyway, wetin concern me, if they like the report the Boko harm bombings, if they like, let them don't report, I just hope we don't wake up one morning in this country and here that Borno state as a whole is no more existent. I guess the Media is doing Borno state and North in general good by not reporting recent Boko Haram bombings.

Besides, please where is Oby-Ezekwesili? Anyone knows about where is this woman is now?

Professor Ogu and the Presidency should be trusted with identifying important meetings for Nigeria to attend. Because it was convened by a UN agency doesn't make it official UN event nor should Nigeria be of compulsion to attend. A meeting to discuss funding for the resettlement of IDP has its own political coloration. It's a matter of assessing priorities.

The Lies of the lying liars have gone international

TonyeBarcanista:
The Lies of the lying liars have gone international

it's so embarrassing!

Now I believe Liar Mohammed is contiguous!

Well, GEJ attended Countless meeting like this with no result, All the UN and US ever does is "pledge assitance" and "hold meetings " with no visible result. Just look at Syria

The Presidency's explanation is accepted.

kITATITA:
Professor Ogu and the Presidency should be trusted with identifying important meetings for Nigeria to attend. Because it was convened by a UN agency doesn't make it official UN event nor should Nigeria be of compulsion to attend. A meeting to discuss funding for the resettlement of IDP has its own political coloration. It's a matter of assessing priorities.

The UN expressed disappointment, the world is displeased, even our own diplomat says it was a diplomatic blunder, and you are still defending from the comfort of your pot of amala.

Don't you know when to stop? Know there's a huge difference between loyalty to your country and loyalty to its ruler.

kITATITA:
Professor Ogu and the Presidency should be trusted with identifying important meetings for Nigeria to attend. Because it was convened by a UN agency doesn't make it official UN event nor should Nigeria be of compulsion to attend. A meeting to discuss funding for the resettlement of IDP has its own political coloration. It's a matter of assessing priorities.

why are you this half baked?

SirWere:
Well, GEJ attended Countless meeting like this with no result, All the UN and US ever does is "pledge assitance" and "hold meetings " with no visible result. Just look at Syria

so why was the Instagram President there in the first place?

I wsh I can lay my hands on the facts surrounding this case then , and only then, can I give my valuable opinion. But Baba hardly make mistakes.

Lol

otil1:


The UN expressed disappointment, the world is displeased, even our own diplomat says it was a diplomatic blunder, and you are still defending from the comfort of your pot of amala.

Don't you know when to stop? Know there's a huge difference between loyalty to your country and loyalty to its ruler.

Don't make it as if Mr. Moon or the general assembly or secretariat expressed any disappointment. A UN official expressed regret over Nigerias no participation. The meeting in question was not to tackle Book Haram insurgency. It was to discuss funding for the resettlement of persons displaced as a result of the insurgency. The agency that convened the meeting may obviously want to use Nigerias presence to boost it's profile. Who should lead in discussing fundraising for IDP and who should administer those funds. I don't attend every fundraising event I'm invited to. You shouldn't depend on everything the media, including social media say. There's politics involved in everything UN.

Buhari

This is no good report.

Tell it to those who cares.

International liars...APSh1t

choi!

APC/PMB have exported lieing to united nations convention !


lai(r) mo come and grade this kind of lie.is it a pass or fail?

The volume of lies from these jesters is going to be huge these four years.
Lessons: don't attempt what you can't handle simple because you don't like the person doing it currently.

calebo101:


The Government should get it's priorities right and stop playing to the gallery. You are going for UN convention, common sense should have told you that there will be side meetings and since you can not be there all the time you should have competent hands that can represent you.

But No, The illiterate wants to impress his slaves and told them he was cutting cost. Travelled with 29 people and i fit swear say 19 of them na pictures dem dey interested in

And what makes you think the government has wrong priorities Just because he is not doing what you Wailers like doesnt mean he ain't working. Shee it, Many Nations (african especially) come with "competent" hands from all "divisions" and yet achieve nothing!!!!!!!!!