The Nigerian Embassy in New York has fallen on bad times. For months, workers have not been paid. Neither is the embassy able to repair its air conditioners, the only source of air since the windows of the imposing glass house cannot be opened.

Visitors now wait outside the building while their passports are being processed, writes Adeola Fayehun, who visited the embassy in New York.
I needed to see for myself. I’ve heard that it’s been more than a month since the air conditioner broke down at the Nigerian High Commission in New York. It was 32°C, and there are no windows or cross ventilation in the 21-storey all-glass building located on 44th Street and Second Avenue. The only source of air in the edifice are the air conditioning units.

Outside the embassy, visitors were sitting, waiting for their, passports. I approached a woman with two kids, a boy and a girl. Idera had been sitting outside for hours, while her husband breezed in and out of the embassy. The heat inside was unbearable for her and her children. She showed me the boy; his face was covered with sweat. She lifted his arms; “My baby had no rashes before we came here today, now his two arms are covered with rashes from the heat. It’s like an oven in there,” she said.
When her husband came out, he hesitated to tell her, but despite waiting for six hours, the embassy said he had to come back in two days because they were out of ink.
“You won’t believe how rude they were; they talk to you anyhow,” he said. I begged them that my children cannot come back to this heat, but they didn’t care.”

Another family sat near the pillar painted in grey outside the building. The three teenagers waited patiently outside for their mother who kept going in and out. “We’ve been here for six hours,” one of them said.

As soon as I got in the elevator, I thought of running back outside. On the eighth floor, the chairs were empty. The old standing fan made no difference. It was blowing heat. No wonder people sat outside. I went to the sixth floor, no air. I went to the fourth floor, no air. I went to the second floor, no air. I had to see for myself.

Getting back to the first floor, I went to the waiting room, where about three families were waiting. Two families gathered around a portable air conditioner, the only air conditioning unit I saw working in the building. I was so happy to see at least one source of fresh air, and I mentioned it to the two families. I was surprised by their response.
“The air conditioner didn’t work all day; we were all sweating, so most people went outside. It was later in the afternoon that it started working,” they said.
I was short of words. I looked around the waiting room, and I was ashamed. How can this be my embassy? I saw loose wires hanging on the walls near the surveillance camera, and an old box television with nothing playing. Though beautiful outside the huge building made me feel like I was in Nigeria, at one of the ministries’ run down offices.
A man held his newly born baby to his chest at the waiting room,
“My baby’s food is finished,” he said. I begged the staff all day to please help us do the passport today. We came very early, all the way from Pennsylvania; we drove for five hours, they just dismissed me and told my wife and I to come back on Wednesday.” They told him to come back in two days because they’re out of laminating supplies. I was confused, I thought they were out of ink, now it’s laminating supplies.
From what I gathered, some diplomats have not been paid for four months. Some local staff also have not been paid for two months. The mission is unable to pay for medical insurance of staff and diplomats. So, I was not surprised to hear customers say one man was willing to produce passports if money exchanged hands. However, I have no means of verifying this information, because while I was in the room, the man did not take money from visitors. They offered him cash, but he rejected it.

An embassy employee noticed me and wanted to query me. So I asked, “Are you happy working under this condition?” He looked at me and said “no!” I told him my hope in reporting this, is that the Federal Government will release funds to pay salaries and fix the air conditioning. I found out even if they get money today, it could take two months for the units to work.
Back outside, I met a man that flew in from Minnesota. “They just told me to come back on Wednesday, how am I supposed to do it?” He works in Minnesota; now he has to change all his plans and his return flight if he wants a new passport.

Several families have to come back to this heat. I only spent about 40 minutes in there, and I couldn’t wait to buy a bottle of water, which I drank in a gulp. I was drained!
For two days, I tried to get a top official of the embassy to comment on these issues. Finally, after telling me to call back again and again, the official said he needed to get approval from Abuja before he could talk to the media.


http://thenationonlineng.net/embassy-new-york-broke/

Ok

Compliant:
WE WILL GET OVER IT AS A NATION

MAY GOD STRENGTH BUHARI TO FIX THE NATION

Come to think of it, how much does it cost to fix air-conditioning systems that a country like Nigeria can't afford? A small business will pay for that in a heart-beat. Blame it on negligence, not Buhari or the economy.

Nigerian everything everywhere is broke.

It seems you people aren't getting it.
How does a student studying in a foreign land be able to pay tuitions when the parents that sponsors him from home couldn't see money to eat.

Our economy and financial policy is being trampled on by a group of assembled economic illiterates headed by a stubborn ex-militant Herdsmen who threatened to form a parallel government if a Democratic election does not favour him.

After threatening to soak the monkey and the baboon in blood, some other old fools from South West went ahead to force him on us.

Now everyone suffers it.

[size=18pt]Wetin concern Nigeria?[/size]


One less place for our flat head brothers to deal drugs. Stay home in Nigeria and fix your country.

#include <stdio.h>

int main(int argc, char** argv) {
char* message = "see gobe";
printf("%s", message);
return 0;
}

SONofYORUBA:

E pain am

They probably haven't received their allocation. The finance ministry says no money, I don't quite understand it, wasn't all this included in the budget.

I know the avengers at a point reduced the projected revenue but notwithstanding.

God help us in Nigeria.

Compliant:
WE WILL GET OVER IT AS A NATION

MAY GOD STRENGTH BUHARI TO FIX THE NATION

So that is your answer....the same bull year in year out. Let me tell you something..Nigeria is a zoo, created for the enrichment of the children of England and Western World.....the sooner you know that the better for your generation.

Let them come back and farm.

rose54321:
They probably haven't received their allocation. The finance ministry says no money, I don't quite understand it, wasn't all this included in the budget.

I know the avengers at a point reduced the projected revenue but notwithstanding.

God help us in Nigeria.

Allocation or no allocation, embassies anywhere in the world represents that country within the host country. There is no excuse for depriving people of air. This is insane. I wouldn't be surprised if someone reports this to the US authorities and the Nigerian embassy in New York is shut down for subjecting people to unbearable conditions in the US. Who can survive without air? Yet, there are employees and diplomats that work there for full working hours in the heat imposed on them. Why do we have to take the insanity in Nigeria overseas?

FinestPINACLE:
Let them come back and farm.

Do you know what an embassy is? Who diplomats are? You just asked them to come home and farm and I'm struggling with understanding where ure coming from.

SmartMugu:

Do you know what an embassy is? Who diplomats are? You just asked them to come home and farm and I'm struggling with understanding where ure coming from.

He is an AFONJA

ConqueredWest:


He is an AFONJA

www.nairaland.com/attachments/4011850_4004457asoldierwithawhippursuingsomebodyusethisgififyouseeauselesspostjpegfaabe749e08592f59893225a6876e150_jpegc87acb7de2d76a8992e7642d98ce3945

SmartMugu:

Do you know what an embassy is? Who diplomats are? You just asked them to come home and farm and I'm struggling with understanding where ure coming from.

ur name speaks for u. Not surprised.
When I talk of farm what came to ur smartmugu head Hvnt u hard of commercial farmers, in poultry, fishery, pigry, horticulture
Smh for u.
They should come home and invest on Agriculture jorh

.......and no pictures to support your write-up ?

FinestPINACLE:
ur name speaks for u. Not surprised.
When I talk of farm what came to ur smartmugu head Hvnt u hard of commercial farmers, in poultry, fishery, pigry, horticulture
Smh for u.
They should come home and invest on Agriculture jorh

As smart as you try to sound, u still need your head checked. If all diplomats come home to farm, who represents Nigeria anywhere in the world? Who defends Nigeria's interests when certain economic policies are likely to be unfavorable to the nation? In your small head, all you think about are pigs, cows, yam etc and you expect diplomats to think like you.
Do you now see why you're dumb?
Shake your head for yourself, not me.

tdayof:
.......and no pictures to support your write-up ?

Pictures of what? Non-working air-conditioners? Go to the arrival terminal at the International airport in Lagos and take a pix of the heat from non-working airconditioners if you can. It's the same as the story says, but this time it's New York.
Alternatively read it on SR and be free to ask them for pictures http://saharareporters.com/2016/07/22/nigeria-consulate-workers-nyc-owed-salary-forced-work-major-heatwave-no-ac

THE ECONOMY IS BAD DUE TO PREVIOUS NEGLIGENCE AND CORRUPTION SO IT IS HIGH TIME NIGERIANS START HELPING OUT AS THE GOVERNMENT CONCENTRATE ON FIXING THE ECONOMY

SmartMugu:

As smart as you try to sound, u still need your head checked. If all diplomats come home to farm, who represents Nigeria anywhere in the world? Who defends Nigeria's interests when certain economic policies are likely to be unfavorable to the nation? In your small head, all you think about are pigs, cows, yam etc and you expect diplomats to think like you.
Do you now see why you're dumb?
Shake your head for yourself, not me.

Ogbeni that's a typo error from the phone. Go and sit down and take a chill pill. Or better still, come I have land I cld give u to farm in.
Odeh.

SmartMugu:

Allocation or no allocation, embassies anywhere in the world represents that country within the host country. There is no excuse for depriving people of air. This is insane. I wouldn't be surprised if someone reports this to the US authorities and the Nigerian embassy in New York is shut down for subjecting people to unbearable conditions in the US. Who can survive without air? Yet, there are employees and diplomats that work there for full working hours in the heat imposed on them. Why do we have to take the insanity in Nigeria overseas?

I laugh because you don't understand how embassies or consulate work. Particularly in a country like US, there are many monthly necessities in terms of bills, for instance Health insurance which is mandatory, will I even say more mandatory that the Air system.

Once the finance minister delays or defaults in sending allocation it creates a huge problem, the head there has to now follow their scale of preference and trust me there are many more principal expenditures than the AC.
For instance the light, water and other recurrent monthly bills.

I am not defending the newyork embassy, I just wanted painting a clearer picture, sometimes when we are not in the system, we criticize,only when we become part of it Do we understand

Compliant:
WE WILL GET OVER IT AS A NATION

MAY GOD STRENGTH BUHARI TO FIX THE NATION

Sorry to bust your bubbles, Buhari cannot fix this nation, he will only tear this nation to shreds before 2019, him and team do not have anything to offer Nigerians, if the fight against corruption is a one sided fight, recent discoveries has shown that we have more corrupt persons in this administration than the previous ones, but none of them is before the EFCC.

I will advice you don't raise your hope for anything New or good from the administration

SONofYORUBA:
[size=18pt]Wetin concern Nigeria?[/size]


One less place for our flat head brothers to deal drugs. Stay home in Nigeria and fix your country.

Don't mind the scratch faced WASTErners
Terror and laziness is their nature. Having sold off all their land they are looking for who to blame

Buhari should be quick and perform the promised magic before there's a rebellion.

SmartMugu:

Pictures of what? Non-working air-conditioners? Go to the arrival terminal at the International airport in Lagos and take a pix of the heat from non-working airconditioners if you can. It's the same as the story says, but this time it's New York.
Alternatively read it on SR and be free to ask them for pictures http://saharareporters.com/2016/07/22/nigeria-consulate-workers-nyc-owed-salary-forced-work-major-heatwave-no-ac

Yes I can confirm that of mmia as I have experienced it. However, this is an embassy and I was expecting things to be well organized.