Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
High Commissioner and Ambassadoral Designate to Jamaica, Haiti and Dominican Republic, Dr (Mrs) Maureen Tamuno has said her primary duties include harnessing the existing bilateral relationship with the aforementioned countries, as well as opening up new frontiers for mutual benefits that will ultimately favour both countries.
Dr Tamuno stated this in an exclusive interview with Nigerian NewsDirect in Port Harcourt. According to her, though the appointment could be said to be tall, it is equally saddled with great responsibilities.
“I was appointed by Mr President Muhammadu Buhari whom I owe first allegiance to, then my Boss, Rt Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation, his dear wife and of course my party, All Progressives Congress (APC). I am also responsible to the thirty six States of Nigeria and the FCT as a diplomat,” she explained.
Shedding more light on the Jamaicans, the Embassy said, “I’m sure if you go to Jamaica, you will definitely find people like us. History has it that they migrated or were taken away as slaves from Badagry, Calabar and other parts of Africa a long time ago during the slave trade, so they are our ancestors, brothers and sisters living in diaspora that left us so many years ago,” Tamuno said.
The Ambassador said there had been a long relationship existing between Nigeria and these countries and therefore her duty is to consolidate on that and open up more bilateral relationships for the overall interest of the country.
She emphasized that one of the strengths of Nigeria is size, coupled with its cultural diversity, noting that Nigeria has over 250 languages, with different cultures and tribes, which she said is an added advantage to her as a nation.
Mrs Tamuno said regrettably people tend to highlight more of the country’s challenges or negativity than its positivity, which is not proper as a nation.
She told Nigerian NewsDirect that as a Management Consultant and Strategic Marketing expert, she would use her good offices to foster good relationships with friendly nations across the globe.
On her advice to Nigerians, Dr Tamuno said, they should be peaceful and tolerant, bearing in mind that we are one people with diverse cultures.
“My advice or message is that as Nigerians, we should be peaceful and tolerant, bearing in mind that we are one people with diverse cultures. We have over 250 languages in Nigeria, so let’s draw strength from our diversity and with God on our side,we will succeed as a great nation,” she said.