Monrovia – Ambassador Babatunde Olanrewaju Ajisomo, the Special Representative of the President of ECOWAS Commission to Liberia has for years, been a member of the High-Level Delegations of Nigeria and ECOWAS to several Member States in West Africa. Lately, he has been coming under fire amid accusations that he often appears to take the side of the ruling government, in matters of political controversy.
At its news conference Sunday, a day after the June 7, Save-the-State Protest, the Council of Patriots singled out the Ambassador for criticism after a letter from the ECOWAS local office expressed disappointment in COP for not presenting its petition on the day of the protest.
Said the statement: “It is disappointing to note that, with all the elaborate mediation efforts and arrangements made by the Government, Local and International Stakeholders, the petition that was to be delivered to the Government, could not take place. In spite of this, ECOWAS will, however, want the Liberian Government and people to continue to engage in constructive dialogue for sustaining peace and stability with a view to finding an amicable means of addressing genuine concerns in line with the Constitution and the Rule of Law.”
COP took exception, declaring in a statement Sunday that while it commends international partners for intervening in the saga, the ECOWAS press statement failed to take into consideration several issues.
First, that COP religiously followed all the protocols agreed with the government including, but not limited to, the following: non-use of drones; use of specified routes; use of agreed protest site; and the need for citizens to remain peaceful throughout the protest.
COP said ECOWAS failed to mention that the government failed to honor its own pledge that it would send the Vice President to receive the petition on behalf of the President – a failure that angered the protesters.
The protest organizers also questioned the censorship of social media on the day of the protest which undermined additional mobilization efforts. The group said non-mention of the fact that ahead of the protest points to a deliberate attempt by government to send waves of panic through the public especially with the presence of armed security men seen in communities and parading in the streets instilling fear.
As early as 7am, social media access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram became a no-go zone for Liberians.
COP took keen interest in the fact that armed security officers were prohibiting free movement of citizens by making the presentation of ID cards a precondition for participation in the protest.
“Let it be clear that the current administration has chosen to perpetuate the bad governance culture of holding political prisoners – a practice in which previous governments indulged. Currently, about TWENTY (20) peaceful and law-abiding youth and students are being held at the central prison in detention. We call on the government of Liberia to release those peaceful citizens that have been abducted by the state.”
A week earlier, the ECOWAS Ambassador, denied in “unequivocal terms, that at no time during the official visit ECOWAS President, Dr. Jean Claude Kassi Brou did President Weah speak to the President of the ECOWAS Commission that the former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and the Vice President Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor were supporting the planned June 7, 2019 Peaceable Assembly by the Council of Patriots.”
The statement at the time said it found it most unfortunate and indeed, worrisome that it was quoted to have allegedly expressed that the former President and the vice president of Liberia were aiding the organizers of the planned June 7, 2019 Peaceful Assembly.
Similarly, in that denial, the ECOWAS ambassador’s statement fell short of including that the first mention of the statement attributed to President Weah came to life on the Henry Costa morning show when Senator Sando B. Johnson(NPP, Bomi) made a startling revelation during which he revealed that President George Manneh Weah had told a visiting delegation headed by the head of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Kassi Brou that his vice president Jewel Howard Taylor was personally involved in the organization and providing funding for the protest.
FrontPageAfrica later gathered through sources who were present in the meeting when members of the Council of Patriots met with the with the ECOWAS Commission chair, that the issue of the President’s statement was brought up by COP. Senator Johnson, according to a source in the meeting, indirectly told the meeting with the visiting ECOWAS delegation that the vice president was not part of the organization of the protest. “We are man enough and are organizing the protest on our own. So, if the president wants to destroy his VP, he can do that without implicating the COP. We are not controlled by any external force as it is being rumored. So, yes it was raised,” the source said.
Despite his public disagreements, sources say, Babatunde has taken some hard lines behind the scenes against the government, especially involving the issue of limiting protesters to the Antoinette Tubman Stadium. “He felt it was not right and he made his points known,” said a source familiar with the situation.
Diplomatic observers say, Babatunde holds a Master’s Degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from University of Lagos, Nigeria, having earlier obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from the same institution 1981, is simply exercising caution when dealing with a delicate situation.
He is also a holder of a Certificate in Multilateral Diplomacy from University of Malta and an E-Learning Certificate on Arbitration also from the same institution in 1981 including that of an Alternative Dispute Resolution from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, he acquired a Professional Certificate in International Relations, Law and Diplomacy at the Foreign Service Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ambassador Ajisomo also possesses a Certificate in Strategic Leadership from Albion College of the University of London, United Kingdom (UK) in 2009.
He began his public service career in 1982 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria rising to become Head of Mission at the Embassy of Nigeria, Hanoi, Vietnam from 2010 to 2012.
Between July 2012 and April 2013, he was posted to a bigger Nigerian Diplomatic Mission as Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Nigeria, Bangkok, Thailand. While there, he was accredited to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) as Alternate Permanent Representative of Nigeria to ESCAP. Before then he was at the Embassy of Nigeria, Warsaw, Poland and served as a Minister Counsellor and Charge d’ Affaires ad interim from 2003- 2004.
From 2004 to 2007, he was promoted to the rank of Minister and covered both Political and Economic Affairs. Prior to that, he served as a Senior Counsellor in charge of Economic, Trade and Investment, Information, Education and Consular matters at the Embassy of Nigeria in The Hague, Netherlands from 1998 to 2001.
Before then, he served as Second and First Secretary at the Embassy of Nigeria, Cotonou, Republic of Benin from 1986-1989 covering Political, Consular and Information duties of the Mission.
Ambassador Ajisomo was a member of the Ministerial delegation to Bilateral Joint Commissions sessions of many countries in Africa as well as to multilateral meetings such as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Commonwealth sessions in London as well as the Gulf of Guinea Commission sessions in Luanda, Angola and Equatorial Guinea
He has also participated in various negotiation sessions as a member of the ECOWAS High Level Delegation to all ECOWAS members States, including the African Union, European Union, Japan, India and China. He served as Secretary to the Joint Ministerial Council of Nigeria – Sao Tome and Principe from 2007 to 2010. He was a member of the Presidential, Vice-Presidential and Ministerial Delegations to ECOWAS countries, and also countries such as Chad Republic, Cameroun, South Africa, Angola, Zambia, among others.
Ambassador Ajisomo is passionate about football and other sports and also enjoys, reading, writing, traveling, music and walking. He is married with four children and two grand children