News: Nigeria Embassy, Berlin Rumbles as Ambassador Sacks Staff

Nigeria Embassy, Berlin - It appears that Nigeria may have made a very grave mistake in the choice of very peaceful Neue Jakobstrasse No. 4 situated around the Berlin Mitte as location for its embassy in the German capital city of Berlin.

This is because while the long stretch of street bordered by Korpanical, Insel, Alt Jakob strasse etc is still peaceful and serene, the Nigeria Embassy situated on one of the numerous blocks down the road is buzzing and rumbling.

Amb Yusuf Maitama Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar who was just appointed June 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari and actually presented his letter of credence 20th September to Germany is at war with his non foreign affairs ministry staff most of them Nigerians.

Eight out of these staff members were sacked recently without any entitlements and immediately replaced by new people throwing the entire embassy and Nigeria community in Germany into confusion. As you read this, embers of hate, deep rooted animosity, and bad blood of tribalism pervade the air within the embassy enclave.

Tuggar, the fiery former House of Reps member and governorship aspirant in Bauchi as well as his Head of Chancery Foluke Atanda and Minister Bako are being accused of highhandedness and arbitrary actions and maltreatment.

Outside of the embassy, the faceoff has become the main object of discussion amongst Nigerians at every African shop in Berlin and Germany as a whole. Even the Nigerian community in Germany is said to have tried to wade into the matter but have woefully failed.

Indications are that with the way things are, unless President Buhari takes immediate action, Nigeria will remain a laughing stock in the comity of other world and African foreign missions in Europe aside from ruining the very cordial diplomatic relationship being enjoyed by Germany and Nigeria.

Saturday Vanguard investigation reveal that about 2008, a directive had come from Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abuja ordering that all non foreign affairs ministry staff be placed on contract renewable every two years.

Right from then, the staff members regularized this contract without hitch in a very seamlessly smooth system.

Trouble is said to have begun on the arrival of Tuggar, a trusted ally of President Buhari when the contract was not presented for the staff to renew as usual till when the staff members started asking questions later on in the year.

More questions from staff about the renewal presented more harsh resentment.

Further investigation reveals that a drama ensued when the Ambassador presented the affected staff with advertorials on social media, facebook, watsapp etc calling for their jobs on the 21st of September.

On the 23rd, that is two days later, they all got sack letters without merit and entitlements. Deadline for new and re-application was given for the 26th of September, 2017. Even though most of the affected staff tried to reapply, allegation is rife that the process of reapplication which lasted only five days was anything but shoddy and non transparent as some of the applications were thrown out or declared missing to make way for the employment of new highly favoured staff said to be mostly people.

One of the most pathetic stories being told around the embassy is the sacking of a female staff that had reapplied and even was successful in the employment test but was replaced with the wife of a highly favoured Embassy driver for inexplicable reasons.

Said one of the affected staffs who has worked for the embassy for over a decade but did not wish to be identified: “It is very painful that after many years of effective service to my fatherland in a foreign land this is what we get; disgrace and ill-treatment of the first order. I feel pained that it is only Nigerians that can treat fellow human beings like this. It is very unfortunate that this sack did not follow due process. I would want President Buhari to look into the matter and order them to recall us. That is the only way to see that justice is done”.

Another lamented the sheer impunity in the sack “without any consideration for labour agreements and laws. Germany has a well grounded labour legal system that is well guaranteed. But Nigeria Embassy has thrown these to the dogs and sacked us without due process to bring in their own people. It is really unfair to just sack workers without having any dent of misbehavior in their files.”

Two staff in court to challenge the sack.

Already two of the staff members have gone to court challenging the Nigeria Embassy arbitrary sack without regards to the rule of German labour laws. The two staff; one German and another Nigerian were apparently piqued by the “ill treatment” and went to court to seek adjudication. There is the news that the court summons have already been received and filed at the embassy.

However, in a chat with Mr Bako, Minister at the Nigerian Embassy Berlin, he said it was a routine employment of contract staff. According to him ‘’when the contract of some of the staff expired, an advertisement for the job was made and old staff were told to reapply and some of those who met the requirements of experience and know-how on the job were retained while new ones were employed.”

Source: Vanguard