Nigeria’s Ambassadors Demand Salary Review

Nigeria’s non-career ambassadors have called on the Federal Government to review their salaries.
The ambassadors said it was unheard of that, as head of diplomatic missions in various countries abroad, some of them earn far below their subordinates.
They also called for a speedy replacement of the country’s recalled ambassadors, as it would portray Nigeria as being serious in the comity of nations.
Speaking during a visit to the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, in Abuja yesterday, Coordinator of the Nigeria’s Ambassadors Forum (NAF) and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Austria, Dr. Jerry Sunny Ugokwe, said it was not politically and economically expedient for them to earn less than career diplomats who work under them.
Calling for a consolidation of the ambassadors’ salaries, Ugokwe said: “Our salary structures put us, the ambassadors, at salary level grade 16, yet there are people working with us who are on salary grade level 17.”
Ugokwe gave an instance of what is obtained in Austria, saying, “Non-career ambassadors are on grade level 16, particularly in Austria where I am the ambassador. There are four civil servants on grade level 17.”
The coordinator also said the delay in the replacement of recalled ambassadors affects Nigeria greatly whenever issues affecting Nigeria is concerned.
According to him, Nigeria has no ambassadors in India, China and Niger Republic, adding that in diplomatic circles, when ambassadors are recalled, replacement should follow immediately.
Ugokwe cited the Sudanese example which recalled its ambassador to Austria at 12noon and by 2pm, the replacement had arrived.
He urged the PDP to allow the ambassadors to be given an observatory status at its National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings, while former ambassadors be made automatic delegates to the national conventions of the party.
The delegation comprised Nigeria’s ambassadors to Austria, Argentina, South Korea, Thailand, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Netherlands, Spain, the Vatican, Ukraine, Tanzania, Peru, Libya, Ireland, Uruguay, Zambia, Indonesia and Morocco.
Responding, Ogbulafor assured them that their requests would be forwarded to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua for immediate action, while their request for observatory status at the NEC meetings would be presented to the next PDP NEC meeting.
Ogbulafor charged the ambassadors to be good image makers of Nigeria, urging them to make public the seven-point programme of the administration to countries where they serve as ambassadors.
The PDP chairman also reminded the ambassadors of the five per cent mandatory contribution of all political office holders to the party.