From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The federal government has launched investigations into the role played by some senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that led to loss of Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Nigeria’s candidate to the African Union position of Commissioner for Peace and Security in the January election.
The FG was accused of not only filling an incompetent candidate but also nepotism, alleging that Mohammed is a relative of the Chief of Staff to the President Abba Kyari.
Mohammed who lost to the incumbent Algerian candidate, Ambassador Smail Chergui, was described as a dark horse and a green horn introduced at the last minutes of the election.
Algeria has held the same position since 2002 and Chergui is the third Algerian in that position.
According to a presidency source who pleaded for anonymity, a serving Director and two retired Permanent Secretaries with reported ties to one of the candidates from a friendly country that vied for the same position of Commissioner, Peace and Security, were said to be behind the illegal and fraudulent issuance of notes verbal alleging that Nigeria has withdrawn her candidate in favour of the Algerian candidate.
While the director involved has been issued query, investigations have been launched into the roles played by the two permanent secretaries.
According to the source, “Most worrisome and unfortunate is the issue of the so-called Note Verbales issued by our Embassies in Addis Ababa and Algiers, conveying a decision by the Federal Government of Nigeria to withdraw from the race in favour of Algeria. The truth is that there was no such decision by the government.
“While indeed there were Note Verbales to that effect, these notes were issued without the knowledge, let alone approval of the Minister of Foreign Affairs who, normally, will be the one to authorise such action on the express approval of the President.
“Therefore, if anything, the Government deserves commendation for keeping calm and abstaining to raise dust, despite initial indication of an external influence in the issuance of these highly embarrassing Notes.
“Government had, well before the 30th January elections, instituted an investigation into the matter. A serving Director and two retired Permanent Secretaries with reported ties to one of the candidates from a friendly country that vied for the same position of Commissioner, Peace and Security, were said to be behind the illegal, fraudulent and highly unpatriotic issuance of these infamous Notes. The serving director had since been issued with a query.
“This, certainly, is another case of suspected fraud and corruption which, by the way, is also endemic in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in its more than one hundred missions abroad. It will, therefore, be interesting to see how this case will be resolved”.
The source also denied allegations that Ms. Mohammed was a relative of the Chief of Staff, describing the rumour as callous and malicious. The source added that Kyari met Mohammed for the first time after she became the country’s candidate.
“The assertion, including in some major media, that Fatima is the daughter of the Chief of Staff to the President is utterly callous and malicious, clearly made with the intention to generate bad feelings against not only the Chief of Staff but the President, and to also denigrate the candidate by associating her to nepotism. This is much so because it does not take anything to cross check her lineage, if no malice was intended and if professionalism was a motivating, and guiding factor. The Chief of Staff met her for the first time ever after she became Nigeria’s candidate”.
The presidency source also went ahead to list out factors that led to Ms. Mohammed being Nigeria’s candidate for AU’s position of commissioner for peace and security.
“On the selection process, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama indeed chaired not only the meeting where prospective candidates were shortlisted, but he also chaired the interview Panel which not only graded the candidates but also recommended names for the consideration of Mr. President. Fatima Kyari was graded as second best candidate along with another female candidate. All the other candidates, were also found to be competent and this reflects Nigeria’s strong human resource capital.
“However, only one candidate was to be selected. While only Mr. President and possibly those who were privy to the final selection process could say why Fatima and not any of the other three highest rated candidates was approved, the AU rule regarding gender parity, may have been a determining factor in favour of a female candidate.
“The rule requires that the two Commissioners from each of the 5 regions must be a male and a female. While Nigeria was still on the selection process – as always we were running late – , Senegal and Ghana had already put forward candidates for the two top most posts of Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson respectively.
“Fatima’s proficiency in French Language, among other set of skills also stood in her favour”.
The Presidency also debunk insinuations that Ms. Mohammed was inexperienced, noting that she was adjudged to have the requisite skills by the panel of assessors by both the AU and Nigeria.
“On the much talked about “inexperience”, and/or “incompetence” of the candidate, it is interesting to note that the AU contracted an independent consulting firm that evaluated, assessed and cleared those who were adjudged to have the requisite skills, experience and competence to hold the positions they wanted to compete for.
“Fatima went through this process as all other candidates did, and was duly cleared or she would not have been allowed to run. It therefore amounts to ignorance, malice and/or mischief to label the candidate as inexperienced and incompetent to serve as Commissioner at the AUC.
“The candidate is indeed highly qualified not only by the assessment of the AU consultants, but also by the testimonies of many other African and non-African personalities, bodies and organisations.
“She is skillful, competent and experienced to do the job very well and indeed add value into the job with new and pragmatic ideas.
“She was selected, along with twelve other African mid-career leaders for the Eisenhower Fellowships’ 2016 Africa Program the Eisenhower the United States, but could not participate because it coincided with the preparations for the AUC election… she is now put on the global leadership program.
“Clearly, therefore, Nigeria’s failure to clinch the post can only be attributed to other factors and not the quality of the its candidate. In this kind of elections, countries base their voting pattern more on political and other considerations than on the substantive quality (competence, skills, experience) of candidates. This pattern is clearly reflected in the elections of all the other categories, including that of the Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission”, the source said.