Consul-General pledges to address complaints of Nigerians in U.S.

The Acting Consul-General of Nigeria to New York, Tanko Suleiman, has said that he would liaise with the Nigerian community in the US to address challenges about accessing consular activities.

Suleiman made the pledge at a meeting with members of the Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN) on concerns and expectations of Nigerians from the Consulate.

The focus of the meeting was how to make the Consulate more friendly to those seeking consular services and how it could better engage with the Nigerian Community.

The Nigerian community in the U.S. was led by the Chairman of the Board of OAN, Mr Yinka Dansalami, and a Member of the Board, Alhaji Raheem Banire.

Suleiman said the consulate would transform its image through the improvement of services to Nigerians within its geographical jurisdiction.

He pledged to change the perception that one needed to know someone at the Consulate in order to obtain prompt services.

He explained that he had an open-door policy and welcomed all pro-active suggestions from the Nigerian community.

Suleiman stressed that he believed the task of building a new and better Nigeria was a collective effort.

According to him, he intends to hold Town Halls and meet with Nigerians wherever they are, including in Churches and Mosques.

The meeting was connected with a recent incident at the Consulate over alleged delays to obtain Passport, Visa and all travel documents by many Nigerians.

The Consulate, however, refuted the allegation, describing it as a misrepresentation of the facts.

Rather, it blamed the incident on alleged unruly behaviours by some of the applicants.

After the meeting, Dansalami, told our reporter that the meeting was fruitful and commended the Acting Consul-General for his ‘understanding’.

“We’ll like to state that the discussion was candid and direct.

“The Acting Consul-General was very receptive and very understanding of the frustration expressed by Nigerians.

“He informed the representatives of the Nigerian community of some of the programmes and initiatives he wanted to implement at the Consulate,” Dansalami said.