The Nigerian Academy of International Affairs has said it is scandalised by the “clownish gathering” of some political elite in London, Paris and Dubai.
The group said it was unfortunate and heartbreaking that some leaders had to abandon the shores of Nigeria for the ex-colonialists’ capitals of London and Paris in search of delusion-solutions to Nigeria’s problems.
“The ill-advised and unwitting jamboree of shame displayed by these leading Nigerian politicians in London/Paris has demonstrated once more that the Nigerian environment created and polluted by them is not conducive to their vainglorious self-importance and unearned esteem,” the body of eminent and retired professionals and scholars in diplomacy and International Affairs said.
Their position was contained in a statement titled, ‘The London show of shame,’ signed by their President, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi.
The statement read in part, “Consequently, and because of their neo-colonial mentality which blinded them from seeing and appreciating the goodwill and resilience of Nigerians, they preferred a savoury Western atmosphere. The implication of this is the exposure of Nigeria directly or indirectly to unwarranted Western influence, particularly as they were perceived to be washing our dirty linens in the full glare of the world.
“Isn’t it ludicrous that, from information available to our Academy, some horse trading which dominated their so-called talks on bringing ‘enduring hope to Nigeria,’ centred on counting their chickens before the eggs are hatched, as deliberations focussed on dividing and allocating the national cake to themselves even before the cake is baked, as regards the allocation of principal offices of the National Assembly, ministerial posts, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and others, rather than devoting sufficient time to finding solutions to the pervasive insecurity, economic recession and poverty in the land problems which they caused or contributed substantially to their creation.”
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