A human rights lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, and some Nigerians on social media including a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Aloy Uzoekwe, have condemned the recent appointment given to the immediate past Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Nigeria, Lai Mohammed, by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
The UNWTO had during the opening session of its 66th Commission for Africa (CAF) in Mauritius, appointed the former minister as Special Advisor to its Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili.
The Organization had said Mohammed is expected to bring his wealth of knowledge and experience to his new task having consistently played instrumental roles in the affairs of the world tourism body for the past seven years.
The organisation said Mr Mohammed led its 61st UNWTO CAF Meetings in Nigeria in 2018 and the maiden UNWTO Global Conference on Linking Tourism, Culture and Creative Industries in Lagos last year.
According to the organization, Mr Mohammed is also expected to help Pololikashvili pursue his objective of making Africa a key region for the global tourism economy through his Agenda for Africa programme.
But while reacting to this via his official Twitter handle on Thursday night, the Lagos-based lawyer, Omirhobo said: “It is paradoxical and the height of hypocrisy for the United Nations that professes the rule of law in governance to appoint a violator of the rule of law like Lai Mohammed ex-Nigeria’s information minister as the Special Advisor to the Sec-Gen. of the UNWTO. Shame, shame, shame.”
Also reacting, Aloy Uzoekwe described the UNWTO’s move as ‘highly hypocritical’.
He said: “The UN through the appointment has displayed how insensitive they are to the welfare of Nigerians. They have shown that actually they maybe part of the institutions aiding despotism and undemocratic tendencies in Africa. Distasteful.’
Also reacting, one David @ElimihanorD, on Twitter, said: “I told you, the UN are not out for the good of Africans. Just look at the democracy they wants us to be celebrating. It has so much plundered the people into poverty and yet they don’t see anything wrong.”
Also commenting, HONEST @HONEST08600247 said: “I have seen through the lies and hypocrisy of the west and their organisations.
“They do not give a hoot about the wellbeing of Nigeria and Africa at large. They engage mainly, individuals from African countries who can further help them exploit and destabilize the continent.”
Another user, OKARIA @OKARIAUKE, said: “UN has a different agenda, their top men have private businesses that corrupt countries like Nigeria are patronizing so this is payback time to reward their partners in government if not there is no justification for such an appointment.”
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