The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama has debunked the report that Nigeria will impose sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine, saying he was misquoted.
This was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Sarah Sanda on Wednesday.
The statement reads, “The attention of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama has been drawn to an online publication where he was reported to have said in an interview that Nigeria was ready to impose sanctions on Russia for Invading Ukraine.
“The Minister clearly said, We would act in the framework of the UN, and if there was a UN Resolution, we would be obliged, but there would not be, because Russia has a veto power.”
In further explanation of the context of the Minister’s statement, Sanda provided the transcript of the portion of the interview where the Minister was said to have been misquoted.
“The Minister was asked: ‘Several countries have imposed sanctions on Russia. Is Nigeria making any practical move in that direction?’ He responded that: ‘This is going to be a collective action. The UN has to act, and we are going to act and engage within the framework of the United Nations. So if UN, for instance, adopts and imposes sanctions on Russia, we will comply with UN resolutions on any matter.’
“The Minister was further asked: How detrimental would that be to our investments concerned with Russia? He responded that: ‘Certainly, it will have an impact, I’m not sure that we have huge investments in Russia. It’s not a country in which we have huge investments. We have good relations with Russia, but as I said, Russians vetoed the Security Council. They are chairing the Security Council. So it’s gone to the General Assembly.’
“When he was asked if we can bear the anger of Moscow based on our relationship, if Nigeria goes the way of UN, he responded by saying: ‘You won’t have sanctions because Russia has the veto power in the Security Council, so you will not have a situation when the Security Council is going to accept to impose sanctions on Russia, because Russia has the veto power and is chairing the Security Council.”
There are numerous posts circulating on social media that the Minister of Foreign Affairs said Nigeria would sanction Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine has been facing heavy military invasion by Russia for over a week.
The federal government is however, making moves to evacuate thousands of Nigerians who are currently displaced and taking refuge in Ukraine’s borders.
