BREAKING NEWS:
AMERICAN Embassy Denies DR. KAYODE FAYEMI Entry VISA…’Ekiti State Governor’s Visa to USA not Rejected, He Retrieved his International Passport’, argues Nigeria Governors’ Forum
*Nigeria Governor Forum’s Chairman furious, dashed to Embassy to know why he was rejected
* Directed to contact appropriate offices for further details, embattled Governor allegedly tore the USA visa rejection documents and threw it at the Embassy officials
* Previously scheduled trip to the USA with the Governors Forum in the company of Alike Dangote to meet with Bill and Melinda Gates nullified
*Advanced team comprising of aides, protocol officers who had taken off to USA to prepare grounds for their respective principals recalled back to Nigeria
* “American Embassy indicated that the visa may not be ready by Friday, 8th November, Dr Fayemi retrieved his passport because of a crucial speaking engagement at the AfDB Africa Investment Forum in South Africa on Monday, 11th November 2019”-Nigeria Governors’ Forum
*PLUS untold reasons United States Embassy DENIED Ekiti State Governor Visa into America
BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICAN Foreign Bureau Chief & SHOLA OYEBADE/Staff Writer, South-West Nigeria
SHOCKING INFORMATION REACHING OUR EDITORIAL DESK and few documents sighted by one of our correspondents confirmed that Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum was denied entry visa and rejected from visiting United States of America, even though he applied officially.
Going by this information, the Chairman of Nigeria Governor Forum was informed of this latest news on Wednesday. Eye witness account in Government House told our reporter that Dr. Fayemi after been told of his United States visa rejection was in full blown anger as he dashed out to the Embassy. At the Embassy, the governor demanded to know the reason he was rejected, but was told to contact the appropriate offices for further details. Dr. Fayemi was obviously not pleased. So enraged, the Ekiti Governor tore the USA visa rejection documents and threw it at the Embassy officials.
With this development, the previously scheduled trip to the USA with the Governors Forum in the company of Alike Dangote to meet with Bill and Melinda Gates became automatically nullified. The meeting was cancelled. As a matter of fact, the Governor Forum in affect issued a circular to all Governors indicating the cancellation of the trip due to the unfavorable diplomatic development.
Naija Standard Newspaper gathered that an advance team comprising of aides, protocol officers and others had taken off to USA to prepare grounds for their respective principals. They (the advance team) had been recalled back to Nigeria.
Further investigation showed that the reason for the United States government rejection of Fayemi was not unconnected to the gubernatorial elections of Ekiti State which American government allegedly believe was an election conducted under shady circumstances. Diplomatic sources within the USA government strongly believe the election was rigged.
In his reaction faulting the above argument behind the United States Visa denial to Dr Fayemi in a press statement from the Nigeria Governors Forum on the botched United States trip signed by Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, Head, Media and Public, Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat Affairs, it reads: “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum wishes to correct the mischievous report of 247Ureport on the United States’ visa application of its Chairman and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi. Governor Fayemi, like every other Nigerian citizen intending to visit the US, applied for a visa, attended his interview and was requested to pay the statutory visa acceptance fee by the US Consulate.
“The Governor’s visa application was not denied. Anyone conversant with US Visa application procedure knows that applicants are now routinely taken through administrative processing before visas are issued. When the American Embassy indicated that the visa may not be ready by Friday, 8th November, Dr Fayemi retrieved his passport because of a crucial speaking engagement at the AfDB Africa Investment Forum in South Africa on Monday, 11th November 2019.
“It is imperative to mention here that the NGF Chairman, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, only just returned from the United States where he attended the United Nation’s General Assembly where the NGF organized a high-level side meeting on the 27th of September 2019. It is also important, at this juncture, to caution journalists on the rush to print, as blatant mischief, laden with glaring untruths as contained in the 247Ureports narrative, can drag the journalism profession to disrepute. Knowing Dr Fayemi, it is virtually impossible to associate him with the uncouth behavior that 247Ureports dramatized.
“Meanwhile, the trip to the United States is at the instance of the Dangote Foundation in concert with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and it is on course. The Aliko Dangote Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have partnered for years on several global health and development initiatives in Nigeria. In partnership with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the two foundations are hosting a group of executive governors in Seattle to discuss how to expand support of routine immunization and polio eradication efforts to help strengthen Nigeria’s primary health care system and the Human Capital Development agenda. The visit will foster a deeper understanding of the State Government’s development priorities within the context of the Human Capital Development framework and harvest perspectives to better inform joint strategies for greater impact and progress in meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo Head, Media and Public Affairs Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat +234(0)9 2920025; (0)9 2920026 +234 (0) 08039567128, +234 08056180060”.
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