Tunji Adegboyega
From Nigeria’s fast West African neighbour, Ghana, got here the unimaginable information on June 19: two of the buildings on the Nigerian Excessive Fee premises in Accra had been introduced down by a Ghanaian who claimed possession of the land on which the buildings have been located!
In worldwide relations, this, clearly, is an abomination. This was one of many issues we have been learnt as post-graduate college students of worldwide regulation and diplomacy. By the Vienna Conference on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, such a factor ought to by no means have occurred. The inviolability of a rustic’s diplomatic mission and its premises is a key component of diplomatic regulation. It’s because the diplomatic mission is seen as an extension of the seat of energy of the nation within the host or receiving state. The opposite key components of diplomatic regulation are the immunity of members of the diplomatic workers, and the safety of diplomatic correspondence and diplomatic luggage.
The receiving state is certainly mandated to make sure ample safety for the mission in addition to its members of the workers, at the same time as not one of the receiving state’s brokers is allowed entry into the mission’s premises with out the categorical permission of the pinnacle of the mission.
So, for some ragtag people to enter into the Nigerian Excessive Fee in Ghana with bulldozer to drag down buildings there was an affront not solely to Nigeria but in addition the Vienna Conference, and it must be condemned by right-thinking members of the worldwide neighborhood. One, not solely did it present the hurt that the mission officers are uncovered to, as there was no report of the impudent intruders being challenged by any safety brokers of that nation, apart the unarmed safety males there who might solely watch the unfolding drama from an affordable distance.
We have been additionally instructed that the mission was just a few minutes drive from a police station and that the police in that station have been contacted however seemed helpless at the same time as they got here late to an operation which lasted over an hour.
It’s true the Ghanaian authorities won’t have been complicit within the matter, however their failure to adequately shield the mission is a critical lapse which can’t exculpate them from blame. However then we have to ask the embassy officers too if this absence of presidency safety presence within the place had been like that for lengthy, or they solely pulled out to allow the lawless people who destroyed the buildings function unchallenged. If this had been on for a while, did the officers ever inform the Ghanaian authorities of this critical lapse? Did they inform their house authorities? If they didn’t, then they’re additionally responsible of laxity.
However the implication of that incident goes past violating the excessive fee; it additionally rubbished the immunity which the officers have been alleged to take pleasure in underneath the identical Vienna Conference. It was shameful seeing a number of the embassy officers narrating the incident. Their worry and anger have been palpable, understandably. Concern as a result of the best way the incident occurred was like they have been watching a film. It was like they may simply have been attacked by armed robbers and even kidnapped with out problem if that was the mission of the intruders. And anger as a result of, as considered one of them mentioned, Nigerians wouldn’t have completed that to Ghana.
In fact, those that drafted the Vienna Conference treaty weren’t oblivious of the dysfunctional functions it might generally be put to, a few of which had led to breaking of diplomatic legal guidelines prior to now. Right here, Wikipedia gave examples, together with “the well-known Iran hostage disaster in 1979, the taking pictures of a British police girl from the Libyan Embassy in London in 1984, and the invention of a former Nigerian minister in a diplomatic crate at Stansted airport in 1984.”
I’m nevertheless within the case of the Nigerian minister, not just for the comedian aid it offers but in addition due to the results for relations between Britain and Nigeria, afterwards. The minister, Alhaji Umaru Dikko, was essentially the most talked-about of President Shehu Shagari’s ministers within the Second Republic (1979-1983). Once more, Wikipedia aptly summarises the incident: “The Dikko affair was a joint Nigerian-Israeli try to kidnap Umaru Dikko, a former Nigerian civilian authorities minister residing in the UK, in 1984, and secretly transport him again to Nigeria in a diplomatic bag. The kidnapping passed off, however the transportation was unsuccessful. After it was foiled, the political fallout critically broken relations between Nigeria and the UK for years.” It was unlucky although that some ‘overzealous’ British customs officers denied Nigerians the social service of seeing their as soon as highly effective minister accused of large corruption, (a factor Dikko denied) arriving the Murtala Muhammed Worldwide Airport in a 1.2 by 1.2 by 1.6 metre crate! I imagined how the sensational Nigerian media would have feasted on this for days.
Though the moment case between Nigeria and Ghana will not be in any manner just like this, it’s nonetheless able to damaging relations between them if not for the maturity utilized by the Nigerian authorities.
The great thing about diplomatic regulation is in its precept of reciprocity. That is merely about doing unto others what you need them do unto you. If a receiving nation declares a sending state’s diplomat a persona non grata (undesirable) and sends him again to his nation, the sending nation has a proper to do similar to the receiving state’s envoy in its territory. That is one cause why nations suppose twice earlier than taking any diplomatic choice. So, what ought to Nigeria do on this case? A watch for a watch? Positively not. Inform Ghana to go however sin no extra? Once more, not precisely.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, the current subject will not be strictly between Nigeria and Ghana as such. It’s about a person who most likely took benefit of the porous nature of the embassy to wreak havoc. I say this as a result of irrespective of the benefit within the case of the intruder, he wouldn’t have been inspired to go there with bulldozer if the premises was fortified. That premises must be inviolable it doesn’t matter what; and to the extent of that inviolability, it shouldn’t be open to the sort of assault that was unleashed on it with out the Ghanaian police having the ability to raise a finger to guard it. This, actually, is my fear. And that’s the reason we can’t merely inform Ghana to go however sin no extra.
Though there is likely to be the potential for laxity, both on the a part of the Federal Authorities or the excessive fee regarding the regularisation of the particulars of the premises, the onus nonetheless falls on the Ghanaian authorities to make sure it isn’t violated.
Sadly, this might not be the primary time that Nigeria can be struggling such a humiliation. Nigerians have misplaced a number of of their compatriots to xenophobic assaults in a spot like South Africa. Even in Ghana, there have been some operating battles between Nigerians and the federal government and other people. But, most frequently, the most effective we bought have been apologies which might by no means deliver again the lifeless when a few of these skirmishes led to lack of lives. You might ask whether or not there may be something that might deliver again the lifeless. My reply is, nothing actually. However then, South Africa has a number of investments in Nigeria that might be made to pay for the troubles Nigerians undergo for going to dwell in South Africa. However the Nigerian authorities hardly permits such to occur right here. As quickly as there may be rigidity between each nations, it deploys safety businesses to guard these international investments which can be are in danger in such moments.
All mentioned, it’s excessive time Nigeria started to care about its residents and embassies in different nations. If that had been the case, its excessive fee wouldn’t have been open to the sort of June 19 assault it suffered in Ghana. The incident must be a wake-up name to it to take a listing of our embassies and excessive commissions everywhere in the world with a view to righting the wrongs regarding documentation of papers on the premises, lease (which has been a difficulty in some instances) all of which may critically embarrass the nation. It doesn’t befit our standing to be having points on such little particulars. We must always not take our legendary ‘Nigerian issue’ to that ridiculous extent.
Certainly, we should always not open our flanks to assaults solely to start out recalling how we had rescued a number of the different African nations of their years of troubles. As some folks have argued, we did no matter we did in these nations unconditionally. Different nations would have completed what we did with particular (generally apparently egocentric) clearly-stated goals, corresponding to advancing our nationwide curiosity.
It’s true that Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has apologised to Nigeria on behalf of his nation. The apology is accepted; however it isn’t sufficient. For a way lengthy will we proceed to show the opposite cheek when slapped? Ghana has to rebuild these constructions from scratch. Second, it should make sure the perpetrators of the evil act and their collaborating safety brokers are handled in accordance with its legal guidelines. Additionally, Ghana ought to start to handle itself to the difficulty of safety, not solely within the Nigerian Excessive Fee in its territory however in different nations’ missions which can be open to such assaults. These must be the irreducible minimal within the circumstance.
Supply: thenationonlineng.net
