Nigerian embassy to ‘open in 3 weeks’

However, the envoy pleaded with the community to be patient while promising that he will make arrangement for some interim consular services to begin soon before the official opening of the embassy.

Ambassador Ahmed said some time is needed for the embassy services to fully begin as efforts to secure a building, which will house the mission, is still ongoing.

“Since our arrival here, and with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has been helping to fast track our diplomatic responsibilities, we have been searching for suitable building for the mission and we have been able to see over thirty properties and we are yet to see one befitting of a Nigeria House,” he told executives of the Nigerians in Disapora Organisation-Qatar Chapter (NIDO-Qatar) at a meeting held in Sheraton on Saturday.

The official was optimistic that within two to three weeks, the Nigerian embassy will officially be opened for consular services for the community.

However, the running of the Nigerian embassy here will be slightly different from the traditional missions that people are used to as the consular is one of the seven “Smart Mission” recently created by the Nigerian government, he mentioned.

Ambassador Ahmed explained that the initiative of a smart mission is a new foreign policy idea of the Nigerian government as a means to cut cost in setting up missions.

“Nigerian government has established seven smart missions which included Qatar and they are created to cut cost, the Nigerian government felt because of the dwindling finances to run so many missions, emphasis should be given to important and strategic missions, such as Qatar,” he maintained adding: “As we all know the important role Qatar plays both economically and politically, Nigeria felt that it is very strategic that a full resident diplomatic mission be established here.”

The official added that the missing link between the traditional and smart missions will be the absence of a financial attache, some administration staff and other consular positions until much later.

Ahmed, who recently arrived in Qatar and had last week presented his letter of credence to HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, further said: “Usually it takes time to submit your credentials to a country’s foreign affairs ministry but in my case within 48 hours of my arrival, I was told I will have the opportunity to meet the minister, I did and was privileged to meet HH the Emir, who was very pleased to receive our mission.”

Ambassador Ahmed quoted HH the Emir as saying: “We have been expecting Nigeria and the opening of this mission is long overdue,” adding that the Emir further assured continued support for the embassy from the Qatari government.

Head of Chancery Abdulkadir Maccido was present at the meeting.

NIDO-Qatar president Olu Jimoh Millar thanked the envoy for receiving the executives and emphasised the need for the embassy to start work as soon as possible as there are many pending issues to be addressed.

“Among the challenges for us include obtaining simple facilities such as consular service, getting electronic passports (e-passport), renewal of passport, getting police character certificate or even doing things as finger prints and also obtaining attestation documentation,” Millar said.

In response to the issue of e-passport, which is one of the burning issues among the Nigerians here, ambassador Ahmed said: “We are aware and seriously looking into this problem, I can assure you and give you my word that the issue would be addressed as soon as we open the mission.”

However, he clarified that due to the “Smart Mission” idea, it will be a cost burden to set up an e-passport unit in Qatar but hinted that within the next five weeks an e-passport unit will be opened in Nigerian mission in Abu Dhabi.

He also mentioned that plans were on cards to bring mobile e-passport team from Nigerian Immigration to Doha as often as possible, once the embassy is up and running.

Millar also suggested that the envoy strengthen all the existing bilateral relations between both countries as well as seek new avenues for further co-operation.