Diplomats rue Nigeria’s absence at key UN talk

United States and European Union diplomats expressed disappointment over the absence of Nigeria at a meeting conveyed on Friday to discuss the plights of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

According to Reuters, the event chaired by O’Brien on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, focused on seeking succor for millions of people displaced by activities of the sect.

While Niger, Chad and Cameroon were represented at the occasion, no Nigerian government official attended the programme.

The effect of the sect’s activities in Nigeria is worse than in the three countries combined.

The United Nations said since 2013, some 2.3 million people have been forced from their homes, and a quarter of a million of them are from Nigeria.

The absence of Nigeria at a programme geared towards addressing this phenomenon raised issues on the interest of government in the welfare of the IDPs.

But Garba Shehu, senior special adviser to the Nigerian president on media and publicity, said President Muhammadu  Buharin remained committed to the well-being of all IDPs.

He explained that issues similar to the ones raised in O’Brien meeting were discussed in most of the meetings Buhari attended in his current trip to the US.

Shehu said Buhari would not let go of any opportunity meant to improve the lot of Nigerians.

“The war against terrorism, improved security across Nigeria and additional measures to give succour to IDPs were central to discussions Buhari had had with other world leaders since his arrival in New York on Thursday,” Shehu said in a statement on Saturday.

“The issues were dominant in the president’s conversations on Friday with Chancellor Angela Merkel, the King of Spain, His Majesty, Don Felipe VI and former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

“Brown was in New York with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to discuss the actualisation of the Safe Schools Initiative, which is of special interest in parts of Nigeria, most vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

“President Buhari is handling his duty as leader of the Nigerian delegation to this year’s general assembly with the greatest possible diligence and would certainly not tolerate any tardiness on the part of the delegation in seizing every possible opportunity to advance Nigeria’s interests.

“This notwithstanding, it must be realised that it will be near impossible for any national delegation, no matter its size, to participate in all the meetings that are simultaneously happening in and around the General Assembly in New York.

“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 and the meeting was not the only one or the most important among those paying attention to the problem of insecurity, migration and violent extremism in the Lake Chad area and the rest of the world.

“President Buhari is fully conscious of his responsibility to Nigeria and will accept nothing short of the best for Nigerians in the meetings taking place in and around the United Nations.

“Anyone trying to create an impression of dereliction of duty, based on the Nigerian delegation’s absence at an unofficial meeting, is only being mischievous and uncharitable.”