The Nigerian Embassy in Czech is one that is characterised with all manners of financial misappropriation, rent-seeking, and sleazy virement of funds.
Investigation by PeakNews has left so much to be desired, allegations ranging from virement of funds to personal accounts, non-remittance of revenues, poor bookkeeping procedures, flagrance disregard for financial guidelines, refusal to pay rents of the chancery duly appropriated for the last two (2) years, and several ghost workers on the payroll of the mission.
These are just a few out of several misdemeanours established at the foreign desk of the Nigerian Embassy in the Czech Republic.
Attempts to speak with some of the staffers at this embassy were not yielding. Calls and messages to their phones were ignored and given no due responses as of the time of publishing this report.
The Foreign Mission in Czech is a conduit pipe for sleazing hundreds of dollars every budget year.
Ambassador Kevin Peter, who was formally and previously posted to Prague, was engaged to hear his fair side of the story.
Amb. Kevin Peter decried the dearth of funds for the mission as budgets passed hardly reached the mission in the due year; this, he posited, made operation of the mission tedious.
He also mentioned that the budget for the mission is not dollarised, and the Naira loss of value makes the budget life of the mission a difficult one as the differentials in the exchange loss are not catered for or factored into the budget, and this posed a huge challenge to the financial appropriation and reporting of the mission. He said the amount appropriated each year for the mission has been the same for more than 5 years, despite an increase in the number of staff and Naira’s steady fall over the year.
When confronted with allegations of non-remittance of revenues, arrears of rent despite being bankrolled, and poor cash handling and reporting.
Amb. Kevin Peter replied that the mission only owed 8 months rent as of when he was in the office. He opined that there was no other source of revenue aside from the visa fee, which has a dedicated account domiciled with the federal government.
As for the financial reporting, he blamed this on the fact that the mission has no resident FA and that the Czech’s Financial Attachee resides in Germany and is scheduled to oversee Prague, Tel-Aviv, Frankfurt, and others. This, he said, posted challenges at having proper reporting standards.
He in fact declared that he had in the past written several letters to the National Assembly’s Committee on Foreign Affairs to beam their searchlights on the activities of the mission in Prague.
He revealed the predicaments and tough experiences the members of the mission faced. Most of the time, the staff arranged personal funds from friends to save the face of the mission in the face of a dearth of funds until funds were sent to us, he affirmed.
I am still owed my 6-month salary. In fact, I could not move my belongings back home as we speak, Amb. Peter submitted.
Chinyere Blessing Torti, the Assistant Deputy Director (the CDA), was serially contacted but disregarded every attempt to get her clarifications on the allegations of misappropriation raised against her.
She is alleged to have blocked the Account Attachee from performing his duty. She assumed the roles of both the CDA and FA at the mission. She is accused of using personnel funds to pay her passage allowance at the detriment of local staff.
Revenues and other remittances like admin charges, emergency travel certificates, and others are deemed to be held back by her.
Alao Fatai Adeniran, the Assistant Director (Financial Attachee), did not pick up several calls and messages to his phone contacts to give his side of the story. Mr. Alao is accused of account falsifications and failure to prepare cashbooks and other necessary financial documents.
He is also said to have signed an unauthorised document of funds virements as a signatory to the mission’s accounts.
Ahmed Yelwa Azare, who doubles as the Counsellor to the mission, also ignored all the chats and phone calls to seek his clarification. Azare has been alleged to have the attitude of threatening other staff and fighting the FA whenever he comes to perform his job functions. He is accused to have put tribal sentiment and bigotry into his handling of official matters at the Mission.
Looking at these scenarios as played out in Prague, it becomes disturbing, and one would wonder if that is the story in all Nigerian foreign embassies. How can an embassy incapacitated with funds be able to discharge its responsibilities, such as protecting the lives and interests of its nationals in the country?
Running a government outfit without any respect for corporate ethics and in flagrance disregard for established codes and rules guiding the mission operations is the hallmark of Nigerian foreign mission in the Republic of Czechoslovakia.
It is imperative that the National Assembly’s Committees on Foreign Affairs investigate this and instill sanity in this mission that oversees the well-being of our people overseas and the image of our nation.
It’s sad to say, I was a staff of the Embassy of the Federal republic of Nigeria in Czech Republic. My 2 years+ at the embassy was my worst year in my 25 year’s in Europe surrounding with people without soul.
I am still in the count with the embassy for unpaid salary, overtime and 13 salary for 2 years+.
Embassy rent not paid almost 2 years if not more,
Ambassador resident not paid as well
15 ghost working including the ambassador daughter with over 2000 dollars each of them.
This is between the ambassador, H. O. c and FM
This is sad to hear. Can you please provide insights into this to help investigation going on Please.