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Ministerial screening: Bianca Ojukwu narrates harrowing experience as Ambassador to Spain
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, nominated by President Bola Tinubu as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, narrated her experiences as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain during her Senate screening.
She revealed the challenges she faced, including living in a hotel for a year due to the poor condition of the Nigerian embassy in Madrid.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu expressed concern that the embassy’s dilapidated state did not reflect Nigeria’s image abroad.
She began an extensive refurbishment project aimed at restoring both the embassy and the ambassador’s residence.
Bianca said, “I would like to say that my past records speak for me. As an ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain, I spent an entire year in one hotel room because when I got to Spain, the mission building was in such an appalling condition.”
She recounted that the building’s ruin was particularly embarrassing given its location.
She recounted that the building’s ruin was particularly embarrassing given its location.
“The embassy was located very close to the upscale estate of Galagao, where people would pass by on their way to various events and matches.
“It was disheartening that this decadent structure represented Nigeria in such a prestigious area,” she stated.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu explained that she took immediate steps to address the issues, organising significant repairs and preservation efforts to overhaul not only the mission building but also the ambassador’s residence and other Nigerian-owned properties in Spain.
“The Nigerian embassy in Madrid that you see today is the product of my time in that country,” she said, noting that her focus was to restore Nigeria’s image to one that “truly deserves a designation of outstanding.”
She also highlighted the ongoing challenges Nigerian embassies face worldwide due to limited funding, which often constrains ambassadors in performing much-needed maintenance.
She added, “In most missions, because of no more funding, most ambassadors are constrained when it comes to carrying out refurbishments.
This shortage of funds, she said, ”prevents embassies from showcasing Nigeria’s stature, impacting the country’s standing on the global stage.”
“It is unfortunate because a lot of embassies are going through this situation, and it has, to a large extent, diminished our standing around the world,” she added.
Emphasising the importance of respectable diplomatic representations, Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged the Nigerian government to prioritize embassy maintenance under the current administration.
She cited the nation’s foreign policy objectives of promoting democracy, development, and the Nigerian diaspora as critical areas that require embassies with dignified facilities.
“This is something that the government, under this president, should look into,” she said, pointing out that embassies often host international delegations, study tours, and exchanges, making respectable surroundings crucial.
“It is imperative that when you are in those exchanges, you meet your patrons and colleagues in environments that reflect Nigeria’s true standing,” she said, concluding her remarks with a plea for urgent intervention.
After her response, she was thereafter asked to take a bow and go.
Bianca is one of the seven ministerial nominees currently being screened by the Red Chamber.
News
BUNKERING: Army, Tantita Security Arrest Truck Laden with Illegally Extracted Crude Oil in Delta
A joint team comprising officers of the 181 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Oleh, and personnel from Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd. has arrested a vacuum truck involved in illegal crude oil extraction at Well 3, Olomoro, in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State.
According to reports, the truck, which previously belonged to Engr. Daniel Omoyibo, also known as Damotech, was gifted to the driver, Mr. Matthew Ojomikre, who is currently being detained at the Forward Operating Base (FOB), 181 Battalion, Oleh.
Upon interrogation, the driver confessed that his company had been contracted by Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd. to evacuate sludge from Well 3, Olomoro. However, he was unable to provide any formal approvals or documentation authorizing the activity, as was previously the norm.
Until recently, Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd. had consistently provided crude and condensate trucking permits to officers of the Nigerian Army and Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd. for proper monitoring from the loading point to the discharge location.
Officers of Tantita Security Services, in collaboration with a team from Heritage and the Nigerian Army, have collected samples from the vacuum truck for laboratory testing and analysis.
The preliminary confessional statement from the driver indicates that he illegally collected crude oil from Well 3 under the pretense of evacuating sludge from the wellheads.
Authorities have reported that the same truck has previously been involved in unauthorized crude oil evacuations within the Isoko axis.
The driver, the truck, and its contents remain in custody at the 181 Battalion Base in Oleh for further interrogation and possible prosecution.
The Universal Basic Education Commission on Tuesday announced plans to introduce a new template for disbursing counterpart funds under the Universal Basic Education programme.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of the commission, Aisha Garba, during an interactive workshop with State Universal Basic Education Boards in Abuja.
Garba explained that the Federal Government, through UBEC, had recently restructured the delivery of basic education nationwide to align with four strategic pillars aimed at improving access and quality across states and the Federal Capital Territory.
She identified the pillars as expanding access to basic education, especially for rural and underserved populations; enhancing the quality of teaching and learning nationwide; strengthening accountability and the effective use of education financing; and optimising monitoring and institutional systems for quality service delivery.
She said, “The Hope Education Project of the present administration is a performance-for-reward initiative designed to support states that judiciously utilise resources in line with these four pillars.”
She added that the new approach had made it necessary to develop fresh templates that will guide SUBEBs in preparing work plans to access UBE intervention funds under the framework of the Hope Education Project.
Also speaking at the event, UBEC’s Deputy Executive Secretary for General Services, Tunde Ajibulu, described the workshop as timely and essential.
He stressed that the realignment of basic education delivery made the introduction of the new templates crucial.
“We expect you, as implementers of basic education in your respective states, to contribute positively and help develop workable templates,” Ajibulu said.
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