Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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The purpose of this meeting is to have a discussion with Her Excellency, Dr. Bolere Elizabeth Ketebu, the new ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Ireland. Before we begin, I ask members, witnesses and persons in the Visitors Gallery to ensure their mobile telephones are switched off for the duration of the meeting as they cause interference, even in silent mode, with the recording equipment. This is particularly important today as the meeting is being streamed live.

I remind members of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against any person or body outside the House or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it 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 committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, they will be entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. Witnesses are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or an entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.
We have the privilege of having the Nigerian ambassador to Ireland, Ambassador Ketebu in attendance to make a presentation to us. She is accompanied by Mr. Umar Ahmed Abba. They are both very welcome. This is the ambassador's first visit to the committee and we look forward to her dissertation. Ireland has long-established and strong links with Nigeria, and we hope to build on those at this meeting. We will concentrate specifically on the Ebola outbreak, trade between Ireland and Nigeria and an update on Boko Haram.The format for the meeting is that the ambassador will make an opening statement followed by questions from the members of the joint committee. The normal procedure is that we hear our guest's submission first, members then have an opportunity to raise questions and our guest then has an opportunity to reply. The ambassador has the floor.

H. E. Dr. Bolere Elizabeth Ketebu:

Thank you. I wish to observe the protocol of this meeting and to express my appreciation for the honour and privilege given to me by the Chairman and members of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade to brief the committee on recent developments in Nigeria, bordering on the activities of Boko Haram insurgents, the outbreak of Ebola and trade between Nigeria and Ireland. This briefing session, organised by the committee, demonstrates clearly the concern of the Government and people of Ireland with regard to these challenges confronting Nigeria and it presents an opportunity for me to thank the numerous individuals, groups, associations and institutions in Ireland who have sent letters to the embassy condemning the activities of Boko Haram insurgents, especially the abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls in Chibok in Borno state and the indiscriminate killing of innocent people in the north east and central part of Nigeria.

The terrorist group Boko Haram is also known as Jama-atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which means "people committed to the propagation of Prophet Muhammad's teachings and Jihad". This sect in Nigeria claims to be propagating Islam. The group prohibits and seeks to destroy educational institutions specifically and it is also strongly opposed to all democratic ideals and principles.

As the members may be aware Boko Haram has within the past three years widened its campaign by launching vicious attacks against defenceless and innocent citizens, schools, government buildings, places of worship, villages, towns and marketplaces, resulting in the killing and maiming of hundreds, including the abduction of more than 200 Chibok girls. It has also displaced thousands of families, particularly in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states in north-eastern Nigeria. This terrorist group has succeeded in disrupting social life and has crippled economic activities in these areas. Regrettably, the sect has refused to date to release the schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, but some of the girls have managed to escape and have since returned home. The others still remain in captivity, however, despite all the efforts that have been made by the Nigerian Government to secure their release. Those efforts are now being complemented by technical and other support from the international community.

It is pertinent to note members of Boko Haram are known to be hiding in the Sambisa forest, which is a vast mountainous area. The Nigerian armed forces do not wish to launch an all-out military attack on the sect in this location so as not to endanger the lives of the abducted girls. Nevertheless, the federal government has continued to pursue a multi-track approach to the crisis, including negotiation and collaboration with neighbouring countries, namely, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and the Republic of Benin.

On 13 October 2014 the foreign and defence Ministers of the member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, including Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, met in Abuja to assess the security situation in the area. They prepared a common resolution for the attention of the United Nations Security Council and the African Union to facilitate the establishment of a legal framework for full-scale military operations against Boko Haram. The Ministers also agreed to share intelligence in the battle against insurgency and underscored the need for greater co-operation and collaboration among governments in the region to reinforce operational and intelligence capabilities. Member states further resolved to intensify efforts to co-ordinate the work of the multinational joint task force in the Lake Chad basin and welcomed pledges by member states and the Republic of Benin to deploy troops along common borders. This deployment will enhance security and facilitate the interception of weapons being trafficked in the region. Rather than intimidating the Nigerian government, terrorist acts will only help strengthen its resolve to develop appropriate national strategies and collaborate even more closely with the international community in the fight against this menace.

The outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever started in Guinea in March 2014. Subsequently, the outbreak spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. More than 9,000 people have become infected in the pandemic and more than 4,500 people have died in the three countries. The number of infections is still increasing every month according to the world health organisation. Nigeria became the fourth west African country involved in the Ebola outbreak when a dual US-Liberian citizen, Patrick Sawyer, who was infected with Ebola arrived in Lagos after flying from Liberia via Togo on 20 July 2014. He died five days later, and eight people who came into direct contact with him were later diagnosed with Ebola. In total eight people died from the infection in Nigeria, including two medical doctors and a nurse, out of 20 confirmed Ebola cases.

On 8 August 2014 the World Health Organisation declared Ebola in west Africa a public health emergency of international concern. Following this declaration the Nigerian President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, declared the outbreak of Ebola a national emergency in Nigeria and approved more than US$11 million to help contain it. The President further called on Nigerians to report any suspected Ebola cases to the nearest medical authorities. The public was further urged not to spread false information about Ebola which could lead to mass hysteria. In an effort to contain the spread of the Ebola virus, port health services in Nigeria began a contact tracing process to limit the spread of the disease and created an emergency operations centre to co-ordinate and oversee the national response.

The group worked with the airport and airlines to trace potential cases and decontaminated the airport as well as areas inhabited by people who might have come into contact with the virus. Entry and exit screening was also established at ports in Nigeria.

Health officials used a variety of resources, including telephone records and flight manifests, to track down almost 900 persons who might have been exposed to the virus via Sawyer or the people with whom he had contact. That group was monitored for symptoms for 21 days, with those under observation required to check in with health officials twice daily to provide health updates. As soon as people developed symptoms suggestive of Ebola, they were isolated in Ebola treatment facilities. Without waiting to see whether a suspected case tested positive, Nigeria's contact tracing team tracked down virtually everyone who had had contact with the patient since the onset of symptoms. During this contact tracing process, officials made a staggering 18,500 face-to-face visits. Aside from the contact tracing, Nigeria ensured a highly organised, methodical and informed response to the outbreak. This was crucial. Officials who were part of the emergency operations centre had resources with which to work and some had experience containing other viral diseases, like polio.

All 19 confirmed cases were traced back to Sawyer and no cases have arisen since, marking a successful containment of the virus. Since 8 September 2014, Nigeria has not recorded a single case of Ebola. After the mandatory 42 days - two incubation periods of the disease - without any reported infection, health authorities there issued a statement to the effect that the country was free from the deadly virus. On 20 October, the World Health Organization, WHO, officially declared Nigeria free of Ebola infections, describing the outcome the triumphant result of "world-class epidemiological detective work".

Now that the WHO has certified Nigeria as Ebola free, our Government has urged the international community not to discriminate and stigmatise Nigerians abroad over the Ebola virus pandemic, as there is no justifiable basis for doing so. The Nigerian Government has given an assurance that the country will remain fully vigilant to prevent the re-entry of the virus and will co-operate fully with other concerned nations to stop its spread in west Africa in particular.

Trade between Ireland and Nigeria has increased in recent years as new partnerships in various areas, including construction, information technology, consultancy services and a host of others, have been established between Irish and Nigerian businesses. This development is being facilitated by the embassy in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. As members are aware, the fourth Africa-Ireland Economic Forum, AIEF, concluded on 30 October. It was a major success and Nigeria had a large delegation of participants, representing an increase of more than 400% since last year. They found suitable business partners in Ireland and we hope to see further ties.

The embassy also organised an Invest Nigeria event at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel on 31 October 2014 to facilitate the establishment of business partnerships and promote trade between Ireland and Nigeria.

The turnout from both sides was impressive. The embassy hopes to build on this modest achievement to further deepen ties between Ireland and Nigeria in terms of business relations. Trade between the two countries could be further enhanced by enabling visa policies and direct links.

As I conclude my statement, I again express my appreciation for the support and solidarity Nigeria continues to enjoy from the Government and people of Ireland. I am sure the Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to strive to effectively contain the Boko Haram insurgency, secure the release of the schoolgirls and continue to assist our neighbours in containing the spread of the Ebola virus disease.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the ambassador for a very interesting presentation. We now move to questions. The normal procedure is that we bank the questions for the ambassador to answer together. I remind members that we have time constraints because the room is required for another committee meeting immediately after ours. I call Deputy Smith, to be followed by Deputy Eric Byrne, Senator Norris and Senator Mullins.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the ambassador and her colleague. I grew up in a rural community. Of all the countries in Africa, we would have been more aware of Nigeria because of the history of missionaries travelling to Nigeria from my county of Cavan. There is a long friendship between our countries.

The ambassador has understandably painted a very grim picture of the terrible suffering and terror imposed by the Boko Haram group on defenceless and innocent people. It is an issue that colleagues in Seanad Éireann have raised and we have discussed it in this committee. I and other colleagues have raised the issue in Dáil Éireann, expressing our concern. The ambassador used the term "defenceless people" about the abduction of schoolgirls and the holding of those young innocent people in captivity. It is a desperate situation.

The ambassador said that the efforts of her Government are complemented by technical support from the international community. Can the international community do anything more to assist in bringing this terrible suffering to an end? Can we, as a Parliament and as a concerned country, do anything further on the international stage to highlight to an even greater extent the terrible suffering inflicted on so many innocent people?

The ambassador also referred to the trafficking of weapons, presumably from neighbouring countries. I ask her to elaborate on that. She also mentioned that she is seeking the preparation of a common resolution for the attention of the United Nations Security Council. What does she hope to achieve if the preparation of such a resolution was successful?

The Ebola virus outbreak is of major concern to the entire global community. The ambassador's figures differ slightly from the figures in the briefing given by the Department. I am not criticising either; it just shows the difficulty in compiling an accurate and up-to-date assessment of the number of people who have been afflicted by this virus. Speaking about two weeks ago a senior official in the World Health Organization stated that the virus - the disease - was winning the game. If substantial progress was not made within the following six weeks, which would be up to the end of November, he painted a very grim picture of how the disease would spread even more quickly throughout the world. We all welcome that Nigeria has been declared free of the Ebola virus. What does the international community need to do to assist in the efforts to contain the virus in west Africa and elsewhere?

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I welcome the ambassador. I hope she has a pleasant experience in Ireland. She will have plenty of her fellow nationals to engage with given that about 40,000 Nigerians live in Ireland, an issue to which I will return. I congratulate her on her appointment. Having read her profile, I recognise she is no mean person to deal with. As she has been a parliamentarian, she will know a lot about how we are going to engage. After the warm welcome, I will get down to the nitty-gritty.

We received presentations from a number of the NGOs, including Médecins Sans Frontières, on the Ebola issue. Some of us visited Sierra Leone prior to the Ebola outbreak. We understand how weak the state apparatus, relating to hospitals, nurses, doctors and medical facilities, in Sierra Leone was, as it was a post-war country. Leaving that aside, given that the virus as identified in Nigeria was the very same virus that was spreading in Sierra Leone, I was very dismissive of the statement at the time and my concern was how it would travel within Nigeria. I congratulate Nigeria on having achieved the World Health Organization status of being free of the Ebola virus.

The reason I was sceptical of the figures coming from Nigeria was that we had the scenario of these 300 girls and boys, and everybody being slaughtered in and around an area, with no apparent sign of these children being rescued. The logic of that was that if the Nigerian establishment - military, police and security forces - cannot locate all these people and there is such a war-driven climate in northern Nigeria, how could it possibly control the Ebola virus if it had broken out in that region? I congratulate Nigeria; it did a wonderful job on the Ebola virus issue.

I have considerable interaction with the new communities - the new arrivals to our country. We are very happy to have given Irish citizenship to 60,000 non-Irish from 120 countries. There are 40,000 Nigerians in Ireland, many of whom came initially as "asylum seekers". As a representative of the Nigerian Government, does the ambassador see any reason that any Nigerian man, woman or child should seek asylum from Nigeria in Ireland today? Many of the 40,000 Nigerians here are becoming very respected and welcomed into the Irish citizenship role. As there are 406 Irish people in Nigeria, the ambassador can see the comparison.

I argued with the ambassador's predecessor on this point. Forty years ago I was in Kano near the border with Niger and in Maiduguri near Cameroon. I know the area, but not very well given that it was so long ago. Does the ambassador see any blame being attached to successive Nigerian governments? With an income of $50 billion per annum in oil revenue, it would be alleged that the distribution of this wealth has been unequal and that the north of Nigeria has been sadly neglected. The huge rates of unemployment among young people are leading to the attraction of Boko Haram or whatever to escape into a different lifestyle.

Nigeria is very successful. We spoke recently at the Africa forum so we are enthusiastic about doing business with the foremost country in Africa at this stage with 5.5% annual growth, which is phenomenal. There are arguments that corruption in Nigeria is militating against successful business deals being done. I draw attention to recent newspaper reports of corrupt practices in the oil company, Afren plc.

Is the ambassador in a position provide assurances that steps have been taken to address these issues of corruption? The fact that expatriates travelling to Nigeria to work in the oilfields are being afforded protection by armed security personnel indicates they may be vulnerable to the criminal act of kidnapping. Will the ambassador provide her opinion on that matter?

There are mixed messages in the media with regard to the President of Nigeria and his wife. When the children were kidnapped by Boko Haram, a number of delegations travelled to meet the President. Apparently, his wife was very dismissive of some of the women who were members of those delegations on the grounds that they were not the mothers of the children in question and this resulted in negative publicity. There have also been disturbing reports that Nigerian troops operating in the north of the country are ill-disciplined. It is alleged that some have run away from the conflict with Boko Haram, while other reports indicate these troops are engaging in massive human rights abuses in the region. Will the ambassador indicate whether she believes these reports to be true or whether they are a form of propaganda on the part of the western media? I congratulate Nigeria on the role it is playing in Africa, particularly in the context of providing troops for African Union peacekeeping missions in areas of conflict.

David Norris (Independent)
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I welcome the ambassador, Dr. Ketebu. Through her, I wish to extend my congratulations to Nigeria on the very effective way it has fought against the spread of the Ebola virus. I note that, like me, she is a member of the Anglican Church. I am a regular attendee at St. Patrick's Cathedral and a former member of its board and synod. I am not sure what a Knight of the Anglican Church is but I congratulate her on holding that position.

Many of the questions I wanted to ask have been posed by my colleagues. I will, therefore, concentrate on a particular issue about which I am greatly disturbed and which is also a matter of some concern to the international community, namely, the treatment of gay people in Nigeria and the introduction of a number of recent laws. The Associated Press published a report on 5 January 2014 in which it was stated: "First the police targeted the gay men, then tortured them into naming dozens of others who now are being hunted down, human rights activists said Tuesday, warning that such persecution will rise under a new Nigerian law." Other reports indicate that a man received 20 lashes in a northern Nigerian sharia court after being convicted of committing a homosexual act. In the context of the Bill passed by the Nigerian Parliament and recently signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is on record as stating, "Rarely have I seen a piece of legislation that in so few paragraphs directly violates so many basic, universal human rights". Will the ambassador comment on the mistreatment of gay people throughout Africa and on the completely incorrect contention that homosexuality is a western vice? It is, in fact, the intervention in respect of it that is western. I refer here to the British colonial laws, namely, the relevant Acts of 1861 and 1885, and the intervention of certain American evangelical churches which are using this as an instrument to become involved in political life in Nigeria.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I also welcome the ambassador and her colleague. I wish the ambassador well in her challenging assignment in Dublin. I have no doubt her presence here will strengthen the relationship between Ireland and Nigeria, especially in the context of our economic links. I hope we can assist her country in many ways into the future. I welcome the update the ambassador provided on her country's successful fight against Ebola and I acknowledge the recognition it has received from the World Health Organization in respect of the good work being done in this regard. I hope Nigeria succeeds in keeping Ebola outside of its borders.

With regard to the awful situation of the children abducted by Boko Haram, during the course of the ambassador's presentation she stated that a number of the children have managed to escape. How many of the 270 children abducted have managed to escape? I ask her to estimate or indicate the numerical strength of the Boko Haram insurgents.

I support much of what Senator Norris said about the human rights violations and in particular the Nigerian Government's attitude to homosexuals. I would be very concerned about the signing of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013. The issue of same sex marriage is a live issue in our own country and many people would have grave concerns about the passing of the legislation which prescribes penalties of ten to 14 years in prison for people who are caught in gay relationships. This is particularly regrettable. I refer to other issues such as the death penalty and the use of torture and evictions. This follows on from what Deputy Eric Byrne said about the number of the ambassador's fellow countrymen who have arrived in this country claiming refugee status.

Deputy Byrne referred to Nigeria's economic difficulties and that €50 billion is earned annually from oil. Agriculture was traditionally the backbone of the Nigerian economy and I know that sector has been in serious decline for many years. I understand that the President of Nigeria has a programme to modernise agriculture. I ask the ambassador to give the committee a flavour of this programme. The supply of electricity is another major issue for the country. We are dealing with some issues in this country with regard to alternative forms of energy in parts of the country where we need to boost our electricity supply. I am interested to hear what is being done in Nigeria to improve the generation of electricity.

H. E. Dr. Bolere Elizabeth Ketebu:

Let me start with what I think Ireland can do to assist in the fight against Boko Haram. I believe that Ireland has a lot to offer in the area of technical assistance, in particular, to the military agencies and to the joint regional task force team. The Sambisa forest where Boko Haram has been identified as preying from is a forest line that cuts across the countries in that area such as, Chad, Benin Republic and Niger. Ireland could help by building capacity in intelligence gathering and in strategy in order to fight Boko Haram insurgents.

I suggest that Ireland could provide material and military assistance, maybe some weapons or other military equipment to fight insurgency, based on the history and the known capacity of Ireland. The regional team could benefit significantly from such assistance. Today the problem is in Nigeria and before it was in Chad and who knows where it will spread to, considering that ISIS is moving from country to country. The provision of assistance on a regional basis would be very helpful.

If the UN resolution goes through with the UN Security Council it will bring into the fold more countries along the axis which may be giving immediate and remote assistance to Boko Haram insurgents. As we have seen, this group has succeeded in indoctrinating young people. Most of its evil activities, especially the bomb explosions, are carried out by suicide bombers. No rational thinking young person can afford to get himself or herself involved in suicide bombing in public places. They bomb mosques, churches, markets, schools and motor parks. Their target is not any particular group of persons or religion. In the mosques there are Muslims, in the churches there are Christians, in the markets there are both Muslims and Christians, young and old. It is difficult to identify the ideology the group is pursuing short of saying that based on what one can see physically, without knowing what their motivation is, it looks like it is a political tool, knowing that this group abhors all forms of democratic principles. Bringing the UN resolutions through can bring more countries into the fold, to pool their resources in terms of technical assistance and material support to enable us to contain the Boko Haram insurgency.

On the issue of international community efforts to contain Ebola and that the figures we have given are not consistent with other figures, according to Nigeria’s medical records we have had 20 cases and have lost seven people. This is on record. Whether the figures tally or not, the important point is that Nigeria is Ebola-free and this has been confirmed by the WHO. The strategy that was put in place obviously worked well for a country as large as Nigeria to have been able to contain the Ebola epidemic within such a short time. Although the doctors who had the primary contact with the patients paid the supreme price, it was a price that was worth all the effort and attention.

Many Nigerian asylum seekers would have come at different stages and from various places and every case should be treated on its merits. We do not know who they are and there are particular religious and socio-cultural situations in a country as large as Nigeria. No single strategy can be applied to all Nigerians because they come from different places. For example, those who come from specific states in the north eastern part of Nigeria no longer have a homeland.

Regarding unequal distribution of Nigerian resources between the north and the south, before the Boko Haram insurgency we had the Niger Delta crisis, when the Niger Delta states asked for resource control. Now that we have issues in the north, the first strategy the Government applied was to build almajiri schools. The almajiris are young men in particular of Muslim faith who are sent to live with Islamic leaders or clerics for training, leaving their families and parents.

Over time, they have built a critical mass of young male children who have no exposure to western education. They are always in motion, never settled in one place.

The Government introduced almajiri schools to enable these young children and men to acquire western education and skills. In addition, during this period, there are other programmes, especially in agriculture, that have been instituted in these north eastern states to address the issue of the mass population of young unemployed people. These are long-term strategies, and to contain the immediate problem of the violence instituted by Boko Haram, the military task force has been deployed. It has nothing to do with unequal distribution of wealth because wealth distribution in Nigeria is tied to resource production, population and other diverse parameters. Boko Haram and the insurgents in the north have not alluded to the fact that wealth is not equally distributed to them. The problem is that Boko Haram abhors western education and any form of democracy. It has nothing to do with wealth distribution.

On corruption, we already have an agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. All the Government can do is establish and strengthen the anti-corruption institutions which enable legislation. People involved in fraudulent economic acts, be they foreigners or Nigerians, will find the laws and institutions are there. There is no gainsaying the fact that the EFCC has been trying and convicting people, Nigerians and foreigners. There is no better assurance that this. People who come to do business or work in Nigeria should take the opportunity to go through the laws and know that once they are caught, foreigners receive no preferential treatment. The laws are there.

Regarding Nigerian troops being disciplined and not achieving results, these Nigerian troops are also doing very well in peace-keeping activities for the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and the African Union, AU. This means the Nigerian troops, as a bunch, are very effective and successful. If one or two people in that bunch are caught in acts of indiscipline or acts that are unmilitary according to the ethics of their service, there are laws to take care of them. Since the action against the Boko Haram insurgency, the military has been trying some of its own people. It court martials some and prosecutes and convicts others. As a team, the Nigerian military has continued to prove itself to be worthy military ambassadors of Nigeria in ECOWAS, AU and within the country. It may not be fair to judge the whole Nigerian military based on the acts of a few. Such incidents happen everywhere.

All they need to do is to identify the culprits and make them face the full wrath of the law.

On the issue of gay people, the current law in Nigeria is against gay marriages and gay activities. Our country has its own peculiar religious and cultural beliefs and rites. That is what makes us Nigerian and that is the current law. For those who wish to practise their gay habits it is in their own interests to practise where there is no law against gay people. However, the law as it stands today in Nigeria is a reflection of our own peculiar religious and cultural conditions and situations.

We do not have concrete figures on the numerical strength of Boko Haram for the reason that one Boko Haram insurgent who has volunteered to be a suicide bomber can cause as much havoc as more than 100 or 200 troops. In other words, whether they are many or few, we have not yet seen a massive troop of Boko Haram persons causing havoc or moving but one sees the effect on more than thousands of persons created by just one insane Boko Haram insurgent who in order to commit havoc has strictly targeted public places where people gather. At present we do not have an accurate estimate of the numerical strength of Boko Haram, based on the fact that they are operating from a forest that crosses more than five or six countries in west Africa, along the Chad Basin axis.

In terms of modernisation in agriculture, for the first time the Government has introduced information technology in the management of the distribution of implements, chemicals and materials used in farming. Nigerian farmers today use solar-powered mobile phones by which means they receive alerts on current international market values for export products such as cocoa seeds and cashew nuts. They receive alerts on the distribution of fertilisers in Nigeria. In the past they had to take their products to the middle men and women to reach the international market. Because they did not have access to the prevailing prices in the international market the farmers relied solely on what the middle men or women told them.

The fertiliser supplies used to go through three or four hands resulting in unrealistic price mark-up. For example, with regard to the distribution of cassava seedlings, the use of biotechnology has resulted in cassava seedlings or stems that are pest-resistant to specific pests. Through the use of mobile phones, ICT and biotechnology, farmers can access the latest information on the current market value for their products and the availability of whatever materials or products they are looking for.

I think there is a huge opportunity for Irish and Nigerian trade relations in the area of agriculture to develop. My concern relates to the dairy market in Ireland. As a result of the fact that there are no direct air links between Ireland and Nigeria, dairy products have to be transported through various points before reaching their final destination. In terms of cargo, Nigeria receives agricultural products - flour, etc. - direct from South Africa on a daily basis. These products arrive fresh for distribution. This happens because there are direct air links. It cannot happen where produce is transported through airports in other countries and is delayed en route. There is a need to move agricultural products within the shortest possible timeframe in order to maintain their nutritional value and viability. That is why I referred to the necessity for direct air links. We stand to benefit a great deal from such links. As a result of the summit that was held, local governments in my country now wish to send some of their citizens to Ireland on farm attachments of durations of perhaps two weeks, one month or three months. When these people return home, they could then establish farms and would have working relationships or partnerships with their counterparts in Ireland. In terms of modernisation, this would benefit us a great deal.

Last but not least, I come to the matter of electricity. The Government of Nigeria recognises that the country cannot meet all of its own energy needs. As a result, it privatised power generation in the past month or two. It is now proceeding to privatise power transmission. There are international partnerships in the area of power generation and we are looking at establishing such partnerships in respect of transmission and distribution. We believe that with our public private partnership strategy in these areas, Nigeria will meet the challenges relating to energy in the near future.

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I hope ESBI becomes involved. It is involved in such partnerships in Tanzania and elsewhere and has an excellent record. I hope the Vice Chairman will excuse me but I am obliged to leave for a meeting with six other ambassadors.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is a very busy man. I thank the ambassador very much for her presentation.

H. E. Dr. Bolere Elizabeth Ketebu:

The Vice Chairman is welcome.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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It certainly was extremely interesting and gave us an opportunity to consider the progress that has been made in her country. The ambassador outlined the actions Nigeria has taken in its very successful efforts to contain the Ebola virus.

H. E. Dr. Bolere Elizabeth Ketebu:

I thank the Vice Chairman.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Nigeria is to be particularly congratulated in this regard because what it has done illustrates that this disease can be contained and panic can be eliminated if the proper action is taken.

H. E. Dr. Bolere Elizabeth Ketebu:

Exactly.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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The ambassador brought many useful points to our attention in the context of trade, including that in respect of direct flights. Will we refer that matter to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

On power generation and transmission, the only word of warning I would utter is that it would be a good idea not to allow these to fall into the hands of the same people.

H. E. Dr. Bolere Elizabeth Ketebu:

Exactly. The Vice Chairman is correct in that regard.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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This country has previous experience in that regard. If different entities are involved, then it can work very well. If the same people gain control of generation and transmission systems, however, it can give rise to problems.

The ambassador made a number of interesting comments in respect of Boko Haram. I am of the view that Nigeria will eventually come to grips with this problem, particularly as what is happening will reflect badly on its human rights record. We fully recognise the degree to which some elements relating to this issue may fall outside the control of the Government of Nigeria. However, as Members of Parliament, we have all have dealt with refugees from Nigeria and many other locations across the globe. I am sympathetic to the plight of these people, particularly those gay and lesbian individuals who have been forced to leave their home countries.

They are sometimes asked why they left. I would have thought the answer was obvious - when they could not guarantee their own safety. I cannot understand how people question that.

Boko Haram's attitude to women and girls is particularly tragic. Dr. Ketebu recognises that. It is an issue that requires ongoing action and attention, not only from the Government in Nigeria but those of other countries too, for various reasons. The fact one group in society sees it as its policy to ensure half the population - because 50% at least are women - should be refused education or have their education curtailed and be deemed to be part and parcel of a war trophy is particularly reprehensible. The witnesses know that and are trying to do something about it. It may be difficult but this needs to be dealt with. Otherwise, in years to come, people will ask why no one did anything about it.

I thank Dr. Ketebu and Mr. Abba for coming before the committee today. Their presentation was very interesting. We will use it to give general information to our people and we hope it has been of some benefit to the witnesses too.