FEDERAL Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday vehemently denied making any plans to sell the official residence of Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, United States of America.
The Ministry also denied having knowledge of any such plans from any quarters within or outside the country to sell the prestigious edifice, which the Government of the United States of America had declared as a heritage.
Making the denial, was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Martins Uhomoibi, who represented the Minister, Prof. Viola Onwuluri at a one day public hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, investigating the alleged plan to sell the country’s diplomatic edifice in New York.
The investigative hearing was as a result of a resolution passed by the House on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, mandating its Foreign Affairs Committee to thoroughly investigate the allegation and submit its report to it within two weeks.
The resolution followed a motion raised by Rep Yakubu Dogara (Bauchi-PDP) in which he drew the attention of the legislators to the said plan to sell off the property by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Dogara had alleged in his motion that, in a bid to sell off the property at a cheap price, an estimated repair bill of N2.754 billion had been prepared so that the government would be discouraged from carrying out the needed repairs and sell it off.
However, making his presentation to the Panel, Dr. Uhomoibi succinctly washed the hands of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Mission in the United States off the allegation, describing it as a ‘rumour and a lie’.
He posited that the Ministry placed high value on the monument as well as has a responsibility to protect and preserve Nigerian properties in the foreign land that.
His words: “I want to say, in respect of the allegation before us, that it has not been sold neither is it contemplated to be sold. The Ministry appreciates the value of the monument. The Ministry has no information on the alleged plan to sell the House. The Ministry has the responsibility to protect Nigerian properties abroad”.
Speaking further, he said, “the allegation is a rumour; it is a lie. The US Government has declared the property a heritage. Therefore, even if there is any plan to sell it, we in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are advising that it should not be sold.
He however, lamented that the Federal Government had not been maintaining Nigeria’s House in New York, pointing out that it had deteriorated to a situation where it had become uninhabitable.
“Our Permanent Representatives lived in the House, but as time progressed, lack of maintenance made it to deteriorate progressively and now it has become uninhabitable”.
Nigeria’s ambassador to China, Aminu Wali, who once occupied the House but was constrained by his official engagement from appearing before the Committee, sent a position paper, warning that selling of the House should not be contemplated at all.
In his contribution, the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, ambassador Usman Sarki corroborated the submissions of the Perm. Sec., saying, “the house has not been sold; it is not contemplated. The staff of the mission are occupying part of the building. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still in possession of the building. If there is any reason to sell the property, due process will be followed”.
Concluding the hearing, the Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje stated that nobody had the mandate of Nigerians to sell the building, assuring that the Parliament, as the representatives of the people would do everything to ensure that it was not sold.
The Nigeria House was said to have been bought in 1961 by late Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa from the famous John Davison Rockefeller family at the sum of $1 million and is said to be located in one of the most expensive places in the world, which makes it both historic and strategic.
It sits on over 16.6 acres of land and all former Nigerian representatives to UN had lived there.