Gov’t denies appointing Nigerian as ambassador-at-large

ST GEORGE’S (CMC):

The Grenada government on Tuesday denied social media reports that it had appointed an ambassador-at-large to Nigeria, as well as for staging an investment summit with the African country.

“I am not aware of any investment summit … this is the first time I am hearing about it,” Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told a news conference here, adding, “ I am not aware that the gentleman you referred to as being appointed to any diplomatic position.

“If he was, he would not have been appointed by this government,” said Mitchell, who on June 23 led his National Democratic Congress to a nine-six victory over the New National Party government in the general election.

Social media reports had indicated that on July 11, the new government had appointed Tochil Nwaneri from Imo State as the country’s ambassador-at-large to Nigeria.

The reports described Nwaneri as the chairman of Tochil Global Enterprises Ltd, Centrafrique Investment Group.

But Mitchell told reporters that if the gentleman in question “had been so appointed, he certainly would be recalled”.

He admitted meeting the “gentleman last Monday evening”, describing it as a “courtesy call he asked to pay to me. He was accompanied by another Grenadian, who was also appointed as a diplomat by the prior administration. And when he made that courtesy call he asked for a photo, and the photo was given.

“When I met the gentleman, I certainly was not under the impression, nor did he convey to me, that he had been appointed as any diplomat,” Mitchell said.

The 44-year-old prime minister, who is also an attorney, told reporters that his less-than-one-month administration “has made no diplomatic appointments since taking up office”, saying that the new government was recalling all diplomats.