Nigerian FM protests to US envoy over tighter air security

Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe on Tuesday protested to the US ambassador to the west African country over Washington's introduction of tighter screening for passengers from Nigeria.

[img]http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/afp/20100105/19/1007186391-nigerian-fm-protests-envoy-tighter-air-security.jpg?x=310&y=231&q=75&wc=412&hc=308&xc=13&yc=1&sig=D8SaDAMTMAe57NQ9ZnRZ7A--#310,231[/img]
^{Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe}

"I made it clear, through the US ambassador, to the US government that this is unacceptable to Nigeria," Maduekwe told journalists after a meeting in his Abuja office with ambassador Robin Sanders.

"I told the US ambassador that listing Nigeria on the second tier of countries that are indicated on the radar of security measures from the US, is an unacceptable New Year gift to a friendly country like Nigeria," he said.

He stated that Nigeria had since independence in 1960 always maintained "very excellent relations" with the United States.

"I told her clearly that we want the US authorities to look at it again. We conveyed the message that putting Nigeria on that list is not helpful. It is counterproductive," stated Maduekwe.

"They didn't need to put us on that list and we want to be off that list. That is the message I conveyed to her, through her to the US government," he said.

Washington on Sunday introduced new security measures for passengers flying to the United States from 14 countries, including Nigeria, after a 23-year-old Nigerian was accused of trying to blow up a US jetliner over Detroit on Christmas Day.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a trained mechanical engineer, who had explosives sewn into his underwear, had boarded a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. He had flown to Amsterdam on a KLM flight from Lagos.

The minister, a lawyer, underlined that Nigeria "has been traditionally friendly with America (and it is) a country whose 70 million Muslims are among the most peaceful Mulims anywhere in the world".

He accused Washington of double standards by imposing sanctions on Nigeria following the incident.

"I made it clear that we sensed some double standard because as regrettable and as unfortunate what this young man tried to do or attempted to do, was not different from what the suicide (shoe) bomber attempted to do."

He was referring to a British national Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber" convicted of trying to blow up a Paris-Miami flight in 2001.

"And yet the country of origin of the suicide bomber was not put in a category of countries of security concerns," he stated.

Earlier on Tuesday, Justice Minister Michael Aondoaaka said that Nigeria will appeal to the United States to remove it from the terrorism flight watchlist.

Aondoaaka told reporters he believed the United States "will rescind that decision because Nigeria is not a terrorist country and a single incident that involves a Nigerian cannot criminalise all Nigerians".

Nigeria's police chief Ogbonnaya Onovo a[b]lso backed the call, insisting there was "no security issue" in the country.

"We may be deeply religious, but certainly we are no suicide bombers or terrorists," he said.[/b]

Nigeria's main opposition party Action Congress said Tuesday that rather than sanctions, Nigeria needed the understanding and support of its international partners to stamp out religious extremism in the country.

The party said that "a threat to peace anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere. Therefore, Nigeria?s international partners will also be assisting themselves by assisting Nigeria," it said.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100105/twl-nigerian-fm-protests-to-us-envoy-ove-2802f3e.html

Protesting just for the records. Nothing will surely come out of it.

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And Nigerians will henceforth be made to show their kini in 3D at the airports like this

All these ministers where is ur boss?

This is the only thing Madueke has done(complained)for Nigeria since he asssumed that post.
Anyway, he tried.

Madueke should spend his time attending to Mr Preesdient in Saudi. Protest ko, protest ni.

Please read this post

http://www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4982&tx_ttnews[backPid]=167&no_cache=1

and take into consideration what year it was written. Then ask yourself again if we have terrorists in our midst.

9ijaprince:

All these ministers where is your boss?

Where is the President of Nigeria?

One of the reason the US put Nigeria on the lists is that it is 'a potential breeding ground for terrorists'  There are millions of nigeria who are very poor with their government spending money yanfu yanfu.  Ojo Madueke did what his boss should be doing by at least protesting. However, he Maduekwe has spent N2.5Billion Naira ( $17 million dollars) in the last year alone jetting all over the place. That is too much more when no infrastructures at home.

The President of Nigeria ( if he is alive) should have immediately put a telephone across to Obama seizing his opportunity to have a meaningful dialogue rather whinning about no invitation to visit the white House( the last time he went to see a buffon called GW Bush, he said it is the best day of his life-like a schoolboy on his first overseas visit, instead of a President of a soveregn) nation.

There are too many Islamic/muslim fundamentalist in Northern Nigerian killing christians, what stop them from exporting it like Muttalab did, go to somalia or sudn for trainning? The USA were slow to do this because it is just a matter of time before someone like Mutallab, a brainwashed religious exteremist try blowing up something overseas.

Nigeria security is very lax espescially for the rich, powerful, connected, money offered powerful anybody.

Also USA gave Nigeria four  3D body scanner for our 4 main Airports since they know the state of our Airports. NAA never use it, moreso when there may be no power/electricity. NAA were going to do their usual Nigerian factor thing, going to buy what they already have? bunch of thieves like their leaders.

The BIG ONE,  USA never trust Nigerian leaders who can lie to their own citizens about the status of their own President, why should they allow their country to be a security threat from Nigeria?

It is sad, but I for one has seen this coming for a long time, so should any rational thinking person, unlike our INSANE LEADERS who are on drugs made from Nigerian stolen money.

At least he tried his best to protest which is good. Also why dont they put the shoe bomber on a watch list? is it cause he is a british?

Now this is what i call UNFAIR.

Yeah wer the president @?

Yeah wer the president @?

skfa1:

At least he tried his best to protest which is good. Also why dont they put the shoe bomber on a watch list? is it cause he is a british?

Now this is what i call UNFAIR.

My friend let me tell you what is UNFAIR,  your own leaders lieing in a broad daylight about the status of your own President, using you own monies to go and get medical treatment in foreign hospitals. The costs of YAR A'LIARS traetments overseas in the last few years is enough to build a decent Kindney and heart hospital in Nigeria, so is IBB Maryam cancer hospital bills enough to build a cancer treatment hospital in Nigeria.

Secondly, if your country have all that it needed like UAE (by the way, that is also another playground for our politicians) who will need to go to USA and body search affecting us ? , they will even be begging us to come

Now let me let you on the deception which Ojo Maduekwe and Nigerian governement ministers are trying to sell to you.

Richard Reid ( the British bomber) was the first to attempt such stunt from Britain, and that was the first time the authorities are aware of liquid mixing on Air to blow up an aircraft, it was detected, and all the british airports immediately stop allowing liquids except water, and in most cases you have to buy it from the Duty free shops after checking in.

The British bomber is a case of pipe leak, your bomber (mutallab) is a case of open sea/ocean , no seal proof security.

What Ojo Maduekwe and the others should have argued is that US is responsible for not refusing to pass on the relevant information from Muttalab senior so that the boy will not have been allowed to board the plane in the first instance, if the USA have put his name on the no fly list.

Even the 3D scanners that the USA gave Nigeria, they did not use it. The britsh will never do that once they are aware of the security risk. So, we should please stop comparing apples and oranges.

Amazing Grace!!

I see the Senate has backed the FM

and has given the US a seven day ultimatum to rescind - Good