By Uchendu
Precious Onuoha
Re.NIGERIANS IN
SPAIN DIVIDED OVER FEDERATION ELECTION; A
FALLACY BY A SPANISH CITIZEN.
“When in the middle of a river, do
not insult a crocodile”. My attention has been drawn to the purported
mischievous publication in Daily times of December 2, 2015 by Emmanuel Udiebe,
a Spanish citizen who fraudulently claimed to be the president of Federation of
Nigerian Community Spain (FNCS) until November 28 when a deserving new
president was democratically elected by the Nigerian community in Spain. Before
I proceed I would like to point out that the accredited
interview or speech to
Daily times by Udiebe lacks journalistic essence, merit and credibility. If
really the interview or report was conducted by Daily times, it then brings to
question the standard of professional derogation a reputable media outfit like
the daily times has by commission or by omission degenerated to, as interviews,
reports and articles by a paper must bear the name of the reporter even if not
his name but his pen name. Even the photo used contradicts the article as it
was not on the spot photo of an interview if at all it was conducted by a daily
times reporter. Any one that has the hindsight of media presentation and
content will know that the publication was fabricated as it lacks coherence,
chronology and synergy of facts. Well I have no time to dwell on that until
another day.
As a journalist, my profession lays on me the onus of
a watchdog and societal watchman. In exact sense, like a literal guard dog that
barks when it observes a trespasser, my duty requires informing others when
problem is noticed. And as a guardian, I have to provide the citizens with
adequate information they must have about their leaders as to prevent the abuse
of power by those in authority and to inform the people about those that are
causing them harm. Therefore I cannot keep silent when a citizen of a different
nationality trespasses his boundaries to Nigerian territory to blackmail,
insult, and cause chaos to fellow Nigerians only for him to retire to the
comfort of his acclaimed country after setting fire to engulf Nigeria. By all
ramifications I am a Nigerian and still reaffirm my pledge and loyalty to
Nigeria and can proudly say;
I pledge to Nigeria my country
To be
faithful, loyal and honest
To serve
Nigeria with all my strength
To defend her
unity, and uphold her honour and glory
So help me
God.
I want to use this medium to refute the fallacious
article by Udiebe, a disgruntled Spanish citizen and to let Nigerians know the
facts and the truth surrounding his actions. Udiebe by his ubiquitous reverberations has
inadvertently shot himself in the foot and will face the consequences of his
criminal and fraudulent actions for deceitfully holding claim to the president
of FNCS after he has denounced Nigerian citizenship for Spanish nationality. And
by Spanish regulations he ceases to be a Nigerian citizen and has no right to
interfere in the affairs of Nigerians. Udiebe who travelled to Nigeria with
visa and a Spanish passport is the same person claiming leadership and
dictating how election of FNCS should be run. Is that not a slap in the face of
Nigerians in Spain? Below is what a
Spanish citizen, Helen Mukoro who knows his antics posted about Emmanuel
Udiebe.
Mr Emmanuel O Udieba is no more a Nigerian, he was granted Spanish nationality in 2014 and has been issued his Spanish ID card and Passport in December 2014, what he should have done by then is to hand over power to the Federation, it would be nice if he does not postpone his leadership as such leadership was supposed to cease from the very day he was issued the Spanish ID and Passport, he was supposed to humbly call the Embassy and the Federation to announce he's no more a Nigerian, declare the presidency seat vacant and hand over power with immediate effect. His continuity in office may have a serious problem with the Spanish government if they find out he's a Spanish citizen and still heads a Country's Federation he renounced the nationality at the Civil Registry. His personal matters does not have any legal power over the celebrations of the elections, all you need do, is to move ahead with the election agenda and declare a winner, give the credencials to the Embassy and life goes on!!!!
“When the head is present, the knee
should not pretend to wear the hat”
Udiebe’s claim about police report is absolutely lies.
He by no means contributed to the reduction of police report or consular
charges fee. Rather, unknown to Nigerians he has been using the police report
exercise as a goldmine to the detriment of Nigerians. He is yet to account for
about Eur 12,000 (N2,880,000) that was realized by FNCS during the 2014 police
report exercise. Seeing that the police report exercise has become a goldmine
and like an oil boom for him and his newly found ally and kinsman, the
president of Madrid region Lamptey, who was initially calling for his auditing
for the police report money, a ploy he Lamptey used to divert attention and
sweep under the carpet from probing and auditing him too from the huge sums of
money Madrid Nationals realized from the same exercise that is yet to be accounted
for. The duo that have no meaningful job, nomina and means of sustenance in
Spain other than living on the proceeds from the purse of the Nigerian
communities.
Having tasted juicy linings of proceeds from the purse
of the Nigerian community in Spain, like Oliver Twist who would always want
some more, prior to the coming of the police for the just concluded exercise in
September, they connived and went to the embassy and entreated the head of
consul to increase the price of the police report with additional eur15.00. The
embassy declined stating that rather than increase the price, the FNCS should
stay out of the exercise. The question is
who then has the interest of Nigerians at heart? Is it Udiebe and his allies or
the consul and the embassy that said no? The Spanish citizen did not stop
there, seeing that the consul and the embassy did not fall prey to his
fraudulent device; he resorted to another scheme to impose his newly found ally
to succeed him by all means as to cover their intransigencies. As that crafty
scheming met a road block, he resorted to his campaign of calumny to blackmail
the name of the embassy of Nigeria and the newly posted head of consul who is
serving Nigerians diligently.
I hereby inform all well-meaning Nigerians both at
home and abroad that Udiebe’s assertion that Nigerians in Spain are divided
over federation election is a mere fallacy motivated with a malicious and
selfish intent to create hatred disunity and chaos among Nigerians in Spain. The election was held on November 28, and a
deserving winner emerged in the person of Prince Taiwo Adesegun who was sworn
in as the President of FNCS. And no region or persons have raised any objection
to the election of the new executive. And
the embassy of Nigeria in Spain and its staff were by no means partisan but
only played an advisory role where necessary during the process which ended
very well. For Udiebe, he should know
that; “He who fetches firewood infested
with ants invites lizards to his house”
