There was mild drama on Thursday as the Lebanese ambassador to Nigeria, Houssam Diab, walked out on House of Representatives’ committee members on diaspora affairs.
Mr Diab was to meet the committee to discuss issues around the maltreatment of Nigerians in Lebanon, especially a woman named Temitope Arowolo, who is in detention in the country for alleged attempted murder of her employer and allegations of theft.
The ambassador arrived at the meeting venue around 11 am, but met journalists and some other government officials, including Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada.
Reports said he expected the meeting to be a private affair. Shortly afterwards, he stood up and left the venue.
Chairman of the committee, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, said she was shocked that the “ambassador will just get up and walk out on us.”
Akande-Sadipe later said the walk-out was a misunderstanding after some other members of the committee went after the ambassador and held a closed-door session.
“It was an informal meeting because the ambassador was nice enough to join us at the meeting. There is no law that says he has to be here today, but because he has an interest in the joint relationship between Nigeria and Lebanon,” she said.
“It was a misunderstanding, it meant to be an informal meeting and the ambassador was not aware that even when we have our informal meeting is documented. Because of the law of diplomacy, he wasn’t expecting to have media there and it was immediately resolved that it was going to be an executive session.
“The minister apologised on behalf of foreign affairs and he apologised on behalf of the country and the Embassy of Lebanon.
“We have a lot of Nigerians in Lebanon, we have a lot of Lebanese in Nigeria. We have a relationship with Lebanon from the 50s so you can imagine how we have been.
“This meeting today has further reiterated the Lebanese community and the Nigerian community we always stand together to ensure that justice and respect for human lives is a priority and we will work together to bring modern-day slavery to an end.”
According to her, the Lebanese government had also agreed to release Arowolo and other Nigerians held in the country.
Akande-Sadipe said the case involving a Lebanese who is held in Ilorin, Kwara State on charges of human trafficking is also being looked at.
