Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before commencing with the meeting, I wish to remind members, witnesses and all those in the Public Gallery to ensure that their mobile phones are switched off completely for the duration of the meeting, as even in silent mode they cause interference with the recording equipment in our committee rooms.
I am delighted to welcome His Excellency, Mr. Felix Yusufu Pwol, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He has been with us for a number of years and has been a very good ambassador. He has obviously built strong relations between Nigeria and Ireland during his term of office here. Unfortunately, like all ambassadors, his term of office is up shortly and he will be leaving us in the near future. This is an ideal opportunity for us to have the ambassador here today to talk about a number of issues, including his time here.
He is accompanied by his Minister, Mr. Jidda, head of chancery at the Nigerian Embassy.
Before we hear from Ambassador Pwol, I wish to remind members of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person or body outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such as way as to make him or her identifiable. By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the joint committee. If they are directed by the Chairman to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given. They are asked to respect the parliamentary practice that, whenever possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.
I also wish to welcome members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of St. Michael's School in Finglas, who have taken a great interest in the subject matter which we are about to discuss. We all know about the recent events in Nigeria and are all aware of the various atrocities that have been committed. Most noticeably, a few weeks ago, we received news of the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from the northern town of Chibok. This particular incident has gained a lot of media attention worldwide, including here in Ireland. It has been the subject of correspondence, including a petition received by the joint committee. The issue has also been the subject matter of many parliamentary questions recently.
At the moment, our thoughts are with the girls and their families. We hope they will be released unharmed and we continue to monitor the situation. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Gilmore, has taken a particular interest in this matter. In addition, the ambassador has been monitoring the situation for the Government.
I now call on Ambassador Pwol to make his presentation to the joint committee. He is very welcome. We are delighted to have him and his counsellor present to update us on the current political situation, particularly the incidence of kidnapping which has had worldwide attention. Hopefully, there can be a peaceful solution so that those girls can return to their families. One can just imagine the uproar and consternation if it happened here in Ireland and all those students in St. Michael's College were kidnapped. One can imagine the ordeal and hurt their families would have to endure. We hope there will be a successful, peaceful conclusion to this issue. Perhaps the ambassador can also say a few words about Irish-Nigerian relations.