Nigerian High Commissioner to India, Ambassador Mohammed Lawal Dutsima, has raised alarm over fake promissory notes and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered into by state governors and Indian companies.
Dutsima, who received in audience, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday said several state governments entered into bogus MoUs with Indian firms without honouring them, to the embarrassment of the High Commission.
� It is embarrassing that some state governors come to India and sign MoU, which they do not pursue. It is not good to sign such document if you have no intention of seeing it through.
I have been approached by some companies on this issue and I have passed on the complaint to my Ministry.”It is sad that while countries like Ghana , Uganda and others are optimising such opportinuites and growing at a fast pace, we are not making use of such opportunities.
They are collaborating and it is working for them,� he said and pleaded with the senators to speak with their state goverment, especially that of Ondo, who abandoned over $33,000 in an Indian Bank after suspending a scholarship project about a decade ago.�Is Ondo State House of Assembly Speaker or any lawmaker from the state here? Please tell them to collect the money they have abandoned in an Indian Bank.
The bank is tired of keeping the money and has told us severally to tell them. I have sent several mails including a DHL message which was acknowledged. But yet, they have refused to collect the money.�Dutsima also said Jigawa State government refused to pay Indian teachers, after making use of their services for five years.
The teachers were contracted by the state through an IT firm DAV , for IT-related courses, but several years after sacking the, and paying about half of the money, government refused to pay the balance running into several millions of naira.� There are several cases like this. But I have gotten tired of writing. I will now be sending copies to the National Assembly, so that you can help me to intervene.”
Dutsima also raised alarm over increasing number of Indians seeking visas, saying the High Commission �issues over 120 visas to Indians daily. It is true and they all have valid documents to back it up. They have correct papers and expatriate quotas.”
He said over 50,000 Indians are legally working in Nigeria and has taken over several sectors like gas, petroleum , power and steel. We encourage them, because they have the capacity and the capability. They are richer than China in terms of the technology to drive small scale industries and are looking for outlets. So we must join them to develop our small scale industries. Let’s start getting into partnership with them,” he said.
Sep272007