NIGERIA: FG BEGS INDONESIA OVER NIGERIANS ON DEATH ROW

Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Minister of Foreign Affairs called for urgent steps to combat the menace of drug trade among Nigerians. The minister is in Jakarta, Indonesia, as President Umaru Yar'Adua's Special Envoy to the President of Indonesia to seek clemency for 18 Nigerians sentenced to death for drug trafficking offences. He said the President was fully committed to ensuring that all Nigerians were protected where ever they reside. Maduekwe, however, expressed concern that government was often forced to beg other nations for reprieve for Nigerians convicted of such heinous offences. "When you beg too often, and you are turned down, this could sometimes affect other diplomatic issues, this we must try to avoid," he stressed.
Maduekwe noted that to tackle this menace, the society must stop celebrating unquestionable wealth and begin to "name and shame" culprits of ill-gotten wealth. The minister urged state governors, traditional and community leaders as well as religious bodies to educate their people on the dangers inherent in drug business. Also speaking, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Indonesia Ibrahim Mai-Sule said the involvement of Nigerians in drug business was seriously affecting diplomatic relations with the host country.