The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed a video circulating on the social media showing its minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, being chased out of a meeting he held with some members of the Nigerian Community in the Embassy of Nigeria in Vienna, Austria.
The Spokesperson of the ministry, Ferdinand Nwonye, in a statement issued on Friday, explained that the incident captured in the video took place three years ago.
The ministry therefore condemned the circulation of the old video by ‘mischief makers’, while also calling on the public to disregard the video in its entirety.
Nwonye said, “The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been drawn to an old video circulating on the social media, purporting to show disruption of a meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, was holding with some members of the Nigerian Community in the Embassy of Nigeria in Vienna, Austria.
“The Ministry wishes to unequivocally inform that the incident captured in the video took place three years ago. The facts are that at the end of a very pleasant and informative interactive session, a group of no more than five individuals complained vociferously that they had not been given the opportunity to speak.
“The Minister in his magnanimity prevailed on the organisers to allow a representative of the group to speak, and the fellow when given the floor unfortunately proceeded to make incoherent declarations against the unity of the Nigeria.
“The Minister in his response condemned the glorification of conflict and admonished them that they were too young to appreciate the traumatic horrors of violent conflict as witnessed during the Nigerian Civil War.
“One of the young men took exemption to the Minister’s peaceful disposition and was getting more agitated and vocal, at which point the Minister was ushered out of the meeting room as the meeting had already ended.”
