Commercialised phone lines at Nigerian embassies

 It was about a year ago when the news broke that Nigerians living in Austria, Vienna and some European countries were paying for putting calls through to Nigerian embassy. At first, it was hard to believe, yet it was proven to be true.
As at then, DigitalSENSE Business News learnt, it was conspicuously displayed on the Nigerian Embassy website in Vienna, entitled ‘Very Important Notice!’ the embassy had commercialised telephone numbers which began with ‘0900’ and were considered exploitive, insensitive and as such, a national embarrassment as an oil producing nation and to a large extent, supposed ‘giant of Africa.’
DigitalSENSE Business News also gathered that the commercialization entails that if anyone has consular issues, including but not limited to inquiries, applying for Nigerian visa or passport related issues in Austria, such a person must call this number ‘0900 370 123’ and will be charged €1.80 per minute, about N410.40, and on administrative issues one must call ‘0820901269’ at €0.80 Cents per minute, about N182.40.
These charges, DigitalSENSE Business News learnt, are if calls originate from landline, else the cost to both embassy phone lines are likely to be more.
It was also evident to DigitalSENSE Business News that the cost of engaging Nigerian embassy in Vienna via these phone lines fluctuated severally in the past. Indication of this policy is perchance that Nigerian government is finding it difficult to fund foreign missions, therefore looking for extra means of revenue to meet its overhead. Although some Nigerians in diaspora had persistently decried that more often than not, most of Nigerian embassy policies centre on how to rip Nigerians of their hard earn incomes.
As confirmed by spokesperson to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Abuja, Ogbole Amedu Ode, soon after, the so-called commercialization of Nigerian embassies’ phone lines transcends beyond Austria. He reassured that MFA was considering various comments and observations that emanated from members of Nigerian communities in diaspora, especially in Europe and the Americas regarding introduction of optional telephone lines at a few of Nigerian Missions abroad.
Ode claimed that the introduction of the “fast telephone services was motivated by the desire to improve service delivery at the few … as a result of numerous complaints by some Nigerians of difficulties they face in reaching some of the Missions through the usual telephone lines.” Stressing that the intention was not for Nigerians to pay more for the services they seek from their Missions and to which they are perfectly entitled.
The spokesperson emphasised, the services rendered by Nigerian Missions are, for good measure, highly subsidised since the Missions can never be run as commercial entities. Hence, MFA described as “preposterous to suggest that the new telephone service was introduced to enable Missions rake in revenue to pay staff salaries and run their services as nothing could be further from the truth.”
He explained that the ‘commercialised’ arrangement operates side by side with the old telephone system and not meant to be a substitute, insisting that it is optional for users to decide which of the two arrangements they prefer.
MFA official also likened this arrangement to many Missions of other countries, including those operating in Nigeria; the option of paying a little more for fast-track services, than being on the queue for services to be delivered over the usual waiting period.
“It must also be added, in conclusion, that the new arrangement is a pilot programme. If the Ministry discovers at this trial stage that the system introduced to better serve Nigerians and for easier access is not working as it should, or is likely to put additional and unintended burden or cost on Nigerians and other service users, it will not hesitate to revisit, fine tune or stand down the arrangement, in line with global best practices,” Amedu Ode pointed out.
However, it took the assumption of office by new Ambassador to Austria, His Excellency, Abel Adelakun Ayoko, almost a year after this ‘call and pay’ tactics began at Nigerian embassy to effect a change, which according to him, was not convenient for Nigerians. An assertion he made immediately after the centenary celebration of Nigeria on January 18, 2014 organized by the National Association of the Nigerian Community Austria (NANCA).
“When I came, the first thing I did was to remove the controversial lines … so that Nigerians can have access to the embassy. We have also put numbers that you can reach us with at any time,” he told NANCA delegates.
Although Ambassador Ayoko may have ensured the removal of this commercialised ‘call and pay’ in Vienna, Austria, it is important that other Nigerian Ambassadors across Europe and Americas emulate him and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, must wake up to her responsibility by ensuring that indeed, this ‘call and pay’ episode should be put to an end at all Nigerian foreign missions.
The act of charging Nigerians extra for inquiries, for instance is unbecoming of an embassy, moreso when it’s not fast track as claimed by ministry spokesperson. But whatever may be the case, it was established that such commercialised lines do exist at Nigerian embassies; a policy that must stop, for the good of all Nigerians wherever it hitherto existed.
Our foreign policies must not be seen as being anti-Nigerians at any time, moreso, when Nigeria lays claim to being the giant of Africa and if her foreign missions cannot be funded effectively, the claim of African giant is unfounded.




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