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By Hindi Livinus
October 31, 2010 01:53AM


Several officials have denounced the rate at which Nigerians meet their death while seeking better livelihoods abroad and now the case of a man who allegedly starved to death while officials of the Nigerian embassy in Egypt did nothing, have called to question the capacity of our missions to protect Nigerians abroad.

The family of Biodun Waheed Efuwape, a father of two, has petitioned the foreign affairs minister protesting the nonchalant attitude the Nigeria embassy in Egypt allegedly showed towards the plight of their son.

The family claimed that late Efuwape was subjected to inhuman treatment by the Egyptian authorities, chained and tied to the ground for three weeks without being given any food until he succumbed to death.

The family of the deceased has asked Nigeria’s Ambassador to Egypt, Baba Wakil Gana to furnish them with information on how their son died and where he was buried. The petition alleged that the ambassador was informed of Mr Efuwape’s ordeal and the Nigerian diplomat failed to use his position to intervene in the situation.

The deceased, 34, hailed from Sagamu in Ogun State and lost his job two years ago when Cadbury Nigeria downsized. After a fruitless search for another job, the father of two children, ages four and six, resolved to seek his livelihood outside the country. On June 10, 2010 he left for Egypt with the hope that things would get better for him there.

One of his brothers said the deceased informed him that his major concern in this world was to train his children because he lost both his own parents at a tender age.

The family’s petition titled, ‘Who killed Waheed Abiodun Efuwape’ and dated 28th August, 2010 was signed by Adeleke Efuwape, the elder brother of the deceased living in Chicago, the United States.

Petition of sorrow

The petition, which the family said no government official has responded to, states in part:

Sir,

I was informed on the 11th of July 2010 by his immediate senior brother who lives in Canada that he was MENTALLY SICK in Egypt and that someone by the name Mr. Yusuf [Leader of Yoruba] in Cairo is helping to take him to hospital or get repatriated to Nigeria. When I called this man Yusuf, he told me that my brother is in the custody of Egyptian immigration and that he was very sick.

Also he said he was chained and did not eat. I asked him why he has not been taken to the hospital and he said the Egyptian immigration wanted the Nigerian embassy to write a letter confirming his citizenship and then seek for his release and take him to the hospital. But he said the Nigeria Embassy is not taking the issue seriously and that they are always NON -CHALANT to important issues concerning Nigerians in Egypt. I then implored him to give me the name and phone number of the Nigeria Ambassador to Egypt. He gave me the name TIWA, with the phone number 20163594287 as the active Nigeria ambassador to Egypt.

Sir, on daily basis from 16th July, 2010 [sometime thrice or twice a day] I and my brother in Canada called the ambassador to help quicken the situation by taking my brother to the hospital. But he never did, only assuring that they would do sometimes. At a point when my pressure seems to be ‘too much’ on him, he said I should talk to our contact Mr. Yusuf about taking the boy to the hospital. But I told him that I do not know Mr. Yusuf from anywhere and cannot force him to take my brother to the hospital. I told him that the Nigeria Embassy is in a better position to take care of him in view of his being a Nigerian citizen.

Twice, the ambassador dropped the phone on me while forgetting that the man also left a beloved a wife and 2 kids [age 4 and 6] who in future may want to know how their dad died and where he was buried.

Right now, I do not know anybody who can help on this issue in Egypt except my country’s embassy. And I want you to know that if you can use your good office to answer the highlighted question, I and my family would be eternally grateful to you.

While expecting to hear from you soonest on this matter, I wish you GOD’S BLESSING AND GUIDANCE.”

The family said the office of Minister of External Affairs was yet to acknowledge the petition. Efforts made by NEXT to speak with the ambassador did not succeed.

Nigerian missions abroad are as wayward as nigerian govt itself.They are all branches of d rogue tree called nigeria. Nothing worthy can come out of a system built on d platform of gross irresponbility and unaccountability like nigeria