Be Good Ambassadors, Envoy Urges Nigerians

The Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary, Chief Eddy Onuoha, has urged Nigerians in that country to be good ambassadors.

Onuoha said in a statement made available to our correspondent in Aba, Abia Stateon Sunday, that the plea was part of his advice to the Nigerian community in Hungary at their maiden meeting in Budapest.

It quoted the Ambassador as assuring the community that the Embassy of Nigeria was poised to protect and defend the interests of all Nigerians resident in Hungary within the limits of both local and international laws.

Onuoha urged them to be law abiding and observe all the local laws and terms in Hungary as well as shun all vices, including drug-related offences.

He, however, expressed concern over the closure of the Hungarian Embassy in Nigeria, which was causing an unprecedented hardship on Nigerians seeking Hungarian Schengen visas.

Onuoha assured them that the mission has already made a strong appeal to the Hungarian Foreign Office in Budapest, and promised to take the case further with President Goodluck Jonathan.

To assuage the problem, the ambassador reiterated his determination to persuade the Hungarian authorities to reconsider their action of closing their mission in Nigeria.

He said that efforts had started yielding positive results as the Hungarian authorities had appointed one of its top diplomatic officers, Zsolt Maris as ambassador to Nigeria with residence in Budapest.

On the security situation in Nigeria occasioned by the Boko Haram’s insurgency in some parts of the country, Onuoha assured that the Federal Government was on top of the situation.

He reiterated the government’s efforts in dealing with the situation, including its readiness to dialogue with the sect.

Turning to the epileptic power supply in Nigeria, the ambassador said that Jonathan was poised to tackle the problem head on, pointing out that there had been significant improvement in  power supply nationwide.

On Nigerians in prison custody, the ambassador expressed concern that a substantial number of Nigerians were in detention or arrested or imprisoned on narcotic drugs related offences.