Rejoinder from Nigerian embassy

The attention of the embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Manila has been drawn to a publication titled “Chang eyed as next US envoy to Phl” at the front page of the Wednesday, 10th July, 2019 edition of your newspaper wherein one of your reporters, Pia Lee-Brago enlisted the Federal Republic of Nigeria, alongside Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia as conflict inflicted areas.

2. The embassy is at loss why Pia Lee-Brago should engage in rendering distorted information about the actual situation in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in a matter that borders on the dignity and sustainability of a people. The embassy therefore, wishes to state categorically that what Pia Lee-Brago reported about Nigeria being a crisis ridden state is false and incorrect.

3. Notwithstanding that Nigeria has experienced some insecurity challenge which is not peculiar to her alone, enlisting Nigeria among the countries therein as contained in your newspaper is totally unacceptable, and is vigorously condemned by the embassy. As a matter of fact, the Boko Haram insurgent group which operated in the northeastern part of Nigeria in the past had been decimated today, as some states in the region formally under the group’s control have been rescued. Now, residents in the affected states, as well as other neighboring states go about their daily business in relative peace and safety. You must note that even the best-policed countries in the world have not been able to eradicate insurgency in its entirety.

4. In this regard therefore, the embassy wishes to appeal to you to conscientise Pia Lee-Brago, as well as other journalists/reporters in your company to please adequately cross check their facts before going into publication. The embassy also hopes that such distorted and wrong information regarding the Federal Republic of Nigeria are not published in the future. – Christopher Okoli, Political/Information Desk Officer, Embassy of Nigeria