Ministerial nominee Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, during her Senate screening on Wednesday, recounted her challenging tenure as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain, revealing that she lived in a hotel for an entire year due to the deteriorated state of the Nigerian embassy in Madrid.
President Bola Tinubu nominated Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs.
In her remarks, Odumegwu-Ojukwu detailed how the embassy’s poor condition contradicted Nigeria’s image abroad and spurred her to spearhead a major refurbishment project.
“I would like to say that my past records speak for me. As an ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain, I spent an entire year in one hotel room because when I got to Spain, the mission building was in such an appalling condition,” she stated.
She explained that the embassy’s dilapidated state was especially concerning due to its location.
“The embassy was located very close to the upscale estate of Galagao, where people would pass by on their way to various events and matches. It was disheartening that this decadent structure represented Nigeria in such a prestigious area,” she said.
“The Nigerian embassy in Madrid that you see today is the product of my time in that country,” she noted, emphasizing her commitment to restoring Nigeria’s global image to one that “truly deserves a designation of outstanding.”
She highlighted the ongoing challenges Nigerian embassies face due to limited funding, which hampers essential maintenance.
“In most missions, because of no more funding, most ambassadors are constrained when it comes to carrying out refurbishments,” she said, explaining that this financial shortage “prevents embassies from showcasing Nigeria’s stature, impacting the country’s standing on the global stage.”
Ojukwu expressed concern that many embassies are in similar conditions, which, she observed, has “to a large extent, diminished our standing around the world.”
Stressing the need for dignified diplomatic representations, she urged the government to prioritize embassy upkeep. She cited Nigeria’s foreign policy goals, such as promoting democracy, development, and supporting the diaspora, as areas that demand embassies with respectable facilities.
“This is something that the government, under this president, should look into,” she asserted, adding that embassies frequently host international delegations, study tours, and exchanges, which necessitate respectable surroundings. “It is imperative that when you are in those exchanges, you meet your patrons and colleagues in environments that reflect Nigeria’s true standing,” she concluded, calling for urgent intervention.
After her statement, the Senate allowed her to take, a bow and go. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu is one of seven ministerial nominees currently under screening by the Senate.
