AMBASSADOR of the United State to Nigeria,
James Entwistle, has petitioned the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Yakubu Dogara, accusing some members of the lower chamber of improper conduct,
attempted rape and soliciting for prostitutes while on official trip to the United
States of America.
In a letter dated June 9, 2016, the
Ambassador emphatically frowned over the conducts of the lawmakers adding that
it leaves much to be desired of elected citizens entrusted with public offices
particularly considered as watch-dogs for the people.
Unmistakably accused in the saga are Hon.
Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Hon. Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark
Gbillah (APC, Benue) accusing them of attempting to rape a hotel housekeeper at
the International Visitor Leadership Programme.
“It is with regret that I must bring to
your attention the following situation. Ten members of the Nigerian National
Assembly recently travelled to Cleveland, Ohio as participants in the
International Visitor Leadership Programme on good governance.
“We received troubling allegations
regarding the behaviour of three members of the delegation to the U.S.
Government’s flagship professional exchange programme.
“The U.S Department of State and the
Cleveland Council on World Affairs received reports from employees of the
Cleveland hotel where the representatives stayed, alleging the representatives
engaged in the following behaviour:
“Mohammed Garba Gololo allegedly grabbed
a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited her for sex. While the
housekeeper reported this to her management, this incident could have involved
local law enforcement and resulted in legal consequences for Representative
Gololo.
“Mark Terseer Gbillah and Samuel Ikon
allegedly requested hotel parking attendants assist them to solicit prostitutes.
“The U.S. Mission took pains to confirm
these allegations and the identities of the individuals with the employees of
the hotel in Cleveland.
“The conduct described above left a very
negative impression of Nigeria, casting a shadow on Nigeria’s National
Assembly, the International Visitor Leadership Program, and to the American
hosts’ impression of Nigeria as a whole. Such conduct could affect some
participants’ ability to travel to the United States in the future.
“While the majority of Nigerian visitors
to the United States do behave appropriately, even a few Nigerians
demonstrating poor judgement leads to a poor impression of the Nigerian people
generally, though it is far from accurate.
“Such incidents jeopardise the ability of
future programming and make host institutions and organisations less likely to
welcome similar visits in the future.
“In addition, most of the members of this
group reacted very negatively to my deputy when she brought this matter to
their attention, further calling into question their judgement and commitment
to the goals of the International Visitor Leadership Programme. This leads us
to question whether to include National Assembly members for other similar
programmes in the future.
“I request, in the strongest possible terms, you share this message with members of the National Assembly so they understand the seriousness of these issues, and the potential consequences of their actions, not only for themselves as individuals, but also for the future of such programmes designed to benefit Nigeria”, Entwistle said.
“I request, in the strongest possible terms, you share this message with members of the National Assembly so they understand the seriousness of these issues, and the potential consequences of their actions, not only for themselves as individuals, but also for the future of such programmes designed to benefit Nigeria”, Entwistle said.
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