WHY JONATHAN ALLOCATES FUNDS TO RUN GENERATORS IN EMBASSIES, BY AMBASSADOR

The Nigerian Consular General to New York, Ambassador Habib Habu, has explained the rationale behind budgetary allocation for electricity generator in Nigerian missions abroad, saying it was a basic requirement to run the consulate.

Habu, who was responding to an online publication titled: “How Nigeria Squanders Millions in Generators its Foreign Missions,” said standby electricity generators, as well as other security installations, were a basic requirement for maintaining the embassies.

According to a statement personally signed by him, the Ambassador stated that the Consulate General of Nigeria and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, must have a functioning standby electricity generator, as well as, other security installations in compliance with the regulations of New York State and the Fire Department.

He noted that if the Nigeria House had not been a diplomatic premises governed by the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the US Government would have closed it as an unsafe building since 2002 due to lack of a functioning standby generator.

“The Consulate General of Nigeria and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York occupy the Nigeria House, a 22-storey building owned by the federal government. In compliance with the regulations of New York State and the Fire Department of New York
City, the building, must have a functional standby electricity generator, as well as, other security installations, which must be system checked monthly, fuelled, serviced periodically and tested every month,” he said.

He also said the generator must be capable of providing standby electricity to Nigeria House for 24 hours, in the first instance.

According to Habu, the Fire Department doesn’t give the owner of a building notice as to when the spot check on the functionality of their standby generator would be inspected.

He noted that the Nigeria House, hosted the Fire Department on impromptu mandatory inspection in April 2013 and the standby generator of the Nigeria House was given a clean bill of health.

“I am glad to say that the standby generator at the Nigeria House was given a clean bill of health,” he said.

He explained further that in 2002, when the  government stopped allocating funds for the maintenance of the standby generators, the American Protocol and Security operatives refused to allow any Nigerian president to enter the Nigeria House.

He said that the situation prompted President Goodluck Jonathan to approve funds for the repair of the standby generator in 2011.

“It was this situation that prompted, President Jonathan to approve the repair of the standby generator in 2011, in compliance with the New York State and the Fire Department regulations. If Nigeria House had not been a Diplomatic Premises governed by the provisions of the
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the US Government would have shut it down forthwith as an unsafe building since 2002 due to lack of a functioning standby generator,” he added.

Habu also explained that the same condition applies to the Embassy of Nigeria, Niamey, Niger Republic where he  served for five years in the 1990s.

“The embassy possesses a 1000KVA standby generator which must also be maintained. It is mandatory in Niger Republic to obtain government consent before installation of a standby generator. You must also agree to comply with their regulations despite of your diplomatic status.

“Just because we tend to overlook Nigeria’s regulations on the installation of standby generators it doesn’t mean that other countries do not take them seriously. I would have thought that you would look up our own regulations and see how much of it we comply with when installing standby generators in our houses,” he concluded.

Source: Thisday