REVEALED:
Sack Phobia, High Blood Pressure kill Adefuye, Ex-Nigeria’s Ambassador to USA...Last word on Hospital Bed’s Intensive Care Unit in Washington DC
*Intrigues: Late Diplomat Secretly Facilitates Buhari’s maiden visit to White House
*Nigerians, Africans, African-Americans sign Condolence Register in Nigerian Embassy DC
*“He was a Patriot whose contributions to Nigeria were Considerable”-Nigeria’s President
BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/CNN iReport NORTH AMERICA & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, NAIJA STANDARD
HE was loved by majority of Nigerians, Africans and African-Americans in United States due to his intelligence, prompt response to resolving diplomatic challenges and active action in ensuring Nigerians from all works of life are happy in America. During his tenure, there were no single media scandal of ‘under-hand dealings or visa racketeering’ of some sort. Professor Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye, 68, ex-Nigeria’s Ambassador to United States was a good man, diplomatic icon and hero whose sole purpose always was to place Nigeria’s interest above any partisan or personal ambition.
Sack Phobia, High Blood Pressure kill Adefuye, Ex-Nigeria’s Ambassador to USA
Undercover investigation by CNN iReport revealed that precisely on May 29, 2015 after Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in, in less than 96 hours after, he had given a marching order to Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs to quickly issue a recall memo to Nigeria’s Ambassador to United States, Adefuye, Nigeria’s Ambassador to United Kingdom (UK) Dalhatu Tafida and every other Nigerian Ambassadors all over the world. Buhari had told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he would not want to listen or hear some diplomats’ tenure was not yet exhaustive at the time of recall.
Pronto, the recall memos were dispatched to the envoys. Insider investigation confirm to CNN iReport that Adefuye was shocked that after so much he had put into helping Nigeria’s diplomacy and ensured Foreign Direct Investment comes to the country, since his tenure was to expire by August 30, 2015, he now received this memo.
Adefuye was really in shock. He had tried placed several phone calls to Aso Rock to know what he had done wrong for the sudden recall. But there was no success. He had to repeatedly call the Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who told him to hand over to Nigeria’s Consular-General so that there is no hitch in diplomatic activities in the embassy.
Sources confided in CNN iReport that Adefuye had shown continual restlessness, which made him driven to his family hospital in Washington DC where his medical history of high blood pressure was taken into cognizance and was placed on medication to regularize his health.
He was constantly receiving phone calls from ‘friends’ in government circle who told him the real reasons President Buhari recalled him quickly even though his tenure ends on August 30, 2015 was because information reached Aso Rock of the deceased staunch support for immediate past government of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GEJ. This, Buhari never took lightly.
While on the medication to stabilize his health, Adefuye tried to get the matter off his chest and was awaiting any diplomatic role or national assignment Buhari will assign to him since he had no scandal all through his tenure from 2010 when he was appointed by GEJ.
Intrigues: Late Diplomat Secretly Facilitates Buhari’s maiden visit to White House
CNN iReport allegedly gathered that while Adefuye still remain in America performing skeletal diplomatic services till he fully return to Nigeria, same Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed him of the need to facilitate a high-powered diplomatic maiden visit of Buhari to White House.
It took Adefuye several days, several hours of convincing officials of United States Department of State of Buhari’s new democratic beliefs based on the Nigeria’s leader’s ‘dictatorship’ past as a former Head of State to finally be cleared for the official trip. A clause was allegedly handed down to Adefuye to ensure that Buhari’s trip incorporate African community, Senate and Congressional Caucasus on Blacks and American Businessmen. It was also at this point Ministry of Foreign Affairs reached out Adefuye to ensure Buhari’s former US military classmate in war college were duly informed to be around in the July historic trip.
The embattled envoy carried out all of these functions, occasionally skipping his high blood pressure medication. But by the time phone calls to Adefuye from Ministry of Foreign Affairs becomes persistent few days ago as to why he was still in America, instead of having had to hand over several weeks ago to Consular General and return to Nigeria; he was obviously worried. His mind was troubled and lots of thoughts ran through his mind.
Exactly on Thursday, August 27, with no premonition of evil lurking around, he felt weak from within, had constant headache and eyes dizzy, he had to quickly call his driver to quickly drive him to the family hospital. But while on the way, Adefuye had a serious heart seizure, the driver had to maneuver his way finally to the hospital. He was wheeled to Intensive Care Unit while a team of experienced medical doctors attended to him. After few hours medical examination, this time around few members of late envoy family around him, he had said slowly: “I love Nigeria so much and I gave the nation my best. God is surely in control of my destiny.”
Nigerians, Africans, African-Americans sign Condolence Register in Nigerian Embassy DC
Ever since the news of his death hit the mass media same day, shock and disbelief were visibly written on faces of most Nigerians, Africans and African-Americans who knew this foremost diplomat, a honest Nigerian. Condolence register had since been opened since same night August 27, 2017, Thursday in Nigerian Embassy, Washington DC till now where eulogies and encomiums were emotionally poured on the deceased good work by these Nigerians, Africans, African-Americans who throng the embassy.
“He was a Patriot whose contributions to Nigeria were Considerable”-Nigeria’s President
In a statement issued by Malam Shehu Garba, Senior Special Assistant Media & Publicity to President Buhari, he had said in his condolences that President Buhari spoke with the wife of the late envoy on telephone, still in America, that the late diplomat was a patriot whose interest to the contributions of Nigeria were immense.
Garba’s statement reads: “President Buhari recalled that the late envoy had contributed immensely to making his official engagements in United States of America fruitful and successful. The late Adefuye was in attendance at all his engagements during the July official visit to the US”.
