NAN-F-28
Mission
By Cecilia Ijuo
St. Petersburg (Russia), Oct. 18, 2017 (NAN) The Nigerian Ambassador to Russia, Prof. Steve Ugbah, said the country’s mission in Moscow was in a deplorable state and called for urgent facelift for the facility.
The ambassador made this known in an interview with newsmen in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday.
He said that there was an urgent need for renovation of the mission in view of its effect on Nigeria’s image.
”Our mission in Moscow is in a deplorable situation probably because we have not paid attention to it.
”I intend to go there with some of the lawmakers that visited Russia for the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union (UPI)
Assembly.
”This is to show them what the mission looks like and hopefully appeal to them to intervene, perhaps immediately, so that we can boost the image of our country.
“Russia is a significant ally of Nigeria and we need a strong presence here. Our image has to reflect what we wish the rest of the world to have of us,” he said.
On call by some people to return Ajaokuta Steel Company to Russians because of the difficulty faced by companies from other countries in managing it, Ugbah said the calls were timely.
He said that the company was one of the foundation projects that would launch Nigeria into the industrial sector if fully revived.
”If we are talking about development, we need manufacturing; we need to be able to develop our steel capability and some other sectors of our economy that will provide the needed input in developing our infrastructure.
”So, Ajaokuta is very strategic to Nigeria. The Russians started it and I think they should continue with it.
”It is also important for us as a country to develop our capability of how to run our steel mills because they are strategic assets of the country that need to be protected,” he said.
The envoy also said that he planned to improve the trade relations between Russia and Nigeria as well as ensuring that Nigerians, who travelled to Russia, were treated with necessary respect and attention.
“I want to raise the profile of Nigeria in Russia and my other concurrent station which is Belarus.
“I want also to increase the visibility of Russia in Nigeria.
“I want to be able to strengthen the bi-lateral relation between Russia and Nigeria to exploit the opportunities that Russia has to offer Nigeria which are enormous.
“We have not yet paid attention to Russia as a country and I think it is high time we did that and it is my mission to see to that,” he said.
On reports of non-payment of stipend by the Federal Government to students studying in Russia, Ugbah said he had started collating available information about the challenges that Nigerian students in Russia were facing.
He promised to communicate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and follow up to ensure that the students were treated as they should be and given the necessary support to enable them succeed.
He said that the embassy would intervene where it could and engage the assistance of relevant stakeholders where difficult. (NAN)
CJM/OPI/OPI