Nigerians in Diaspora are fantastic, industrious, trail blazers, sought after, but…. – Ambassador Ben Okoyen
Outgoing Consul General of Nigeria in New York, Ambassador Benaoyagha Okoyen, granted an interview to Global Patriot Newspapers, GPNEWS (online) on his experiences in the United States of America (US) and his plans for his new duty post.
Ambassador Okoyen is resuming soon as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Cuba with concurrent accreditation to Bahamas, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Excerpts:
Congratulations Ambassador on your recent promotion and posting. To what do you owe this new development?
Thank you so much for your good wishes. I can only say it is to God’s glory I owe this development. And to Him alone be the glory.
Different groups have been organizing send forth ceremonies for you where people have been speaking glowingly of your Service here at the Consulate in New York. What is your reaction to this?
It means a lot to me that people noticed and appreciated the little efforts we made doing our jobs steadfastly. It also means more responsibility for me because I cannot afford to let the people down. By God’s grace, I will continue to do my best to serve the people and represent the Government of Nigeria in the best possible way that I can.
To be appointed the Consul-General and now having the President of Nigeria reposing great confidence in me to appoint me an Ambassador is a great and rare privilege and I thank God and President Muhammadu Buhari for this great honor. It also means a great responsibility handed to me. So I have to redouble my efforts to do the President and my country proud.
As you proceed to Cuba, what memorable moments of your time in New York will you carry along?
The memory of the amazing people that I come across everyday in the course of my duty. These are the patriotic Nigerians, the dutiful staff members and the hospitable representatives of our host country and partners. New York will always be evergreen to me. My moments in New York have been eventful, engaging, opening new frontiers with and for Nigeria and Nigerians, and I wish to thank all Nigerians who joined hands with us to make our work in New York successful.
How were you able to handle the evacuation of stranded Nigerians, the largest of such operation for Nigeria from anywhere in the world, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Effective planning and unflinching support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially the Minister and the Permanent Secretary. Amazing cooperation and hard work by the staff members of the Consulate. Then the understanding of our patriotic citizens and the sacrifices of the Nigerians In Diaspora Organizations, especially the medical and health teams. So it was team work, which I was privileged to coordinate.
What peculiar challenges did you face during the exercise and how did you overcome them?
Evacuations on such a very large scale, especially during a major pandemic, you would agree with me, would definitely have one challenge or the other. There was especially the issue of compliance with the guidelines we issued. The guidelines were meant to keep all of us safe but some people are so very peculiar that no matter how simple you make a process, they will still complicate it and make it look complex. So we tried to give guidelines required to board the aircrafts especially in compliance with COVID-19 protocols.
Every evacuee needed to bring a negative COVID-19 result and also wear a face mask. We thank the majority of our people who observed all the spelt out guidelines. So, by and large, we did our best to ensure our citizens were not made to go through unnecessary stress as we ensured everything was well organized.
What lessons did you learn from the evacuation exercises?
I saw the evacuation as another responsibility and opportunity to serve my country and our people and I thank God for the remarkable success for which I received official commendations. So I see every privileged position as an opportunity to prove myself and I see challenges as meant to be solved. Leadership in itself is a huge responsibility while faith in God, hard work and passion for every assignment given to me are some of my strategies for overcoming challenges.
Some Nigerians have been complaining about difficulties in processing of new passports, renewal of old ones and access to other Consular services especially in the US and other parts of the world. What are the problems and how can they be overcome?
Nobody is interested in deliberately punishing our law-abiding nationals. Unfortunately a few Nigerians most times don’t want to follow the due process and believe that they can always have their ways at all cost, particularly regarding passport and visa applications, which is not right.
However, things are improving, generally. We’re ensuring simplification of the processes and we are still working daily on the issue, but we, Nigerians, also have our own blames in this regard.
What are the peculiar problems facing the Nigerian Consulate in New York?
There are the challenges of resources and facilities, coupled with a situation where, at some point, New York was the only Consulate General in the U.S. with passport booklets.
But we want to reassure our nationals that our missions will continue to render quality services. But I will want to advise that we continue to follow laid down regulations and guidelines provided by respective missions.
You brought together African Consuls General in the US to begin a Group. What motivated you to do so and what are the goals of the organization?
The motivation was the need to unite Africa and Africans as brothers and sisters and to forge a common front as diplomats from the African continent. So, I felt, why can’t we, the Consuls-General of African countries, also come together to peer review ourselves by adopting the best practices working for each Consulate and replicate same in our individual Consulates. There is also strength in unity and in diversity. So, coming together as one strong body is definitely an advantage for us to influence things with our host authorities because Africa is the region with the single largest number of Consulates-General in the United States.
I was inspired to set up the Group by the role Nigeria played in the formation of the defunct Organization of African Unity (OAU) now African Union (AU) and the sacrifices it made and has continued to make for Africa’s unity and development. So, I felt why not? If Nigeria has been at the forefront of uniting the continent, I cannot do anything less but to see to the unity of our brothers and sisters under one umbrella where we can brainstorm and deliberate on the welfare and well-being of our African brothers and sisters in the U.S. and also explore the investment opportunities and development potentials of our great continent.
How well has the body fared and as you are relocating to Havana, what are the prospects for continuity for the Group?
I think the African Consuls Group has fared very well because all of us are dedicated to the vision. We are very united and see one another as brothers and sisters.
From the onset, it wasn’t about an individual but about a vision that will outlive the present Consuls General. So, my leaving New York for Havana for another official duty does not diminish the vision and the current set of highly dedicated and patriotic officers that make up the Group. By God’s grace, I would continue to keep in touch with my brothers and sisters because while I may no longer be here officially, I know that I am leaving a family here and will continue to keep in touch with them from time to time.
What in your background/upbringing prepared you for life as a Diplomat?
I think God, because He created me and knew my end from the beginning. So, from the foundation of the world, God had designed my destiny. Every other thing that has happened are matters of time and chance.
Nevertheless, I wish to appreciate my upbringing by my parents who instilled so much discipline in me. The values they imparted in me still guide me till today. So, my upbringing from home, the schools I attended from primary to the university all shaped my life. The values of patriotism to my country, being a responsible citizen, love for people, hard work and loyalty were imparted in me and these are the foundation for being a successful diplomat.
Who are your role models?
God has really influenced my life and I remain eternally grateful to Him. His love, mercy and faithfulness influence me and are what I strive to live by. Then, many people have also impacted my life in several ways, particularly my parents who imparted in me values of patriotism, being a responsible citizen, love for people, hard work and loyalty. Specifically, Dr. Ken Saro Wiwa of blessed memory inspired me to read books and my boss, former President Goodluck Jonathan, taught me the value of loyalty and patriotism. I remain grateful to my role models.
What legacy will you say you are leaving behind in the Consulate in New York?
I think I am not in the best position to assess myself but one thing that I can say is that I and my team of dedicated officers always strive to simplify and deliver improved and quality consular services to Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike and make access to our services as less cumbersome as possible.
Another thing I also think we did during my time was the open-door policy, to make Nigerians comfortable visiting and seeing NIGERIA HOUSE as their house. We carried out a lot infrastructural improvements and upgraded facilities to make people who visit the Consulate feel more comfortable.
We identified the problems and believed that problems existed to be solved and the challenges were opportunities for us to even better serve our Nigerian nationals.
I think I will leave my other contributions for other people, including you, to judge. We do not claim to have solutions to all the problems, but we tried our best to address as many challenges as possible.
What will be your counsel for your successor concerning the running of the Consulate after you?
Everybody has his or her own style. What is important is that you identify what works for you and continue to improve on it to deliver for the people and your government. Having said that, I will advise him to work cooperatively with the Nigerian community and the host authority. He’s my colleague and I know him to be a very competent and hardworking officer.
You are going to Havana any time from now. What are you looking forward to?
My expectations for Cuba are high and I look forward to it with excitement. It is an honour for me to again serve the Federal Republic of Nigeria in a higher capacity and I appreciate God for that.
And I wish to thank H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari and the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs for the opportunity to serve the country in the capacity of an Ambassador.
What will be your focus as you go to take charge there?
My focus as an Ambassador is to represent my country and the President of my country in the best way possible and to the best of my knowledge. So, my immediate assignment and concern is to represent my country and Mr. President in Cuba and make Nigeria and Mr. President proud.
Cuba is known for its advanced health sector and tourism. How do you intend to advance Nigeria-Cuba relations especially in these areas?
I am very prepared for Cuba and I look forward to building and even improving on the existing bilateral relations. Yes, health and tourism sectors are among the areas I look forward to explore to advance Nigeria-Cuba relations so as to ensure mutual benefits for both countries. We are bringing on board the relevant Ministries and agencies of government in Nigeria because Cuba and Nigeria have a lot to share in this regard. We are also working closely with the Embassy of Cuba in Nigeria to facilitate hassle-free partnership in these areas.
What plans do you have for Bahamas, Honduras and Nicaragua where you have concurrent accreditation to?
The other countries where I am concurrently accredited are also very important to Nigeria. So, I will also work to represent my country and Mr. President in these countries in the best possible way and make Nigeria and Mr. President proud. So I will work to promote and advance Nigeria’s bilateral relations with those countries as well and also look out for the best for our citizens in those countries.
What is your message to Nigerians in Cuba and these other countries that you will be overseeing?
To be law-abiding and continue to represent the best of Nigeria to make our fatherland proud. They should prove that Nigerians are hard working, intelligent and honest people.
What is your advice for Nigerians in the Diaspora generally?
It’s basically the same. They should remain law-abiding and make Nigeria proud in all their endeavours. Nigerians in the Diaspora are fantastic, very industrious, respectful, resourceful, resilient, hospitable and friendly. They blaze the trail in every field of endeavour like here in the United States and they fly high the green-white-green flag. They are doing incredibly well by any yardstick and are recording incredible accomplishments all over the world as well. These amazing Nigerians are highly sought after by their hosts.
There is, however, the need for Nigerians in the Diaspora to unite. Peace and unity among the leadership of the various Nigerian organizations is very important to our overall progress, prosperity and national development.
Thank you.
