Death of Ambassador Kayode Laro: Ijaw monarchs pay condolence visit to Nigerian Embassy in France
Ijaw traditional rulers comprising of Delta, Ondo, Edo and Bayelsa states have on Wednesday, August 30, paid a condolence visit to the Nigerian Embassy in Paris, France over the death of the Nigerian Ambassador, Late Kayode Ibrahim Laro.
The monarchs who commiserated with the family, the diplomatic community, as well as the Nigerian government and people of Kwara state also signed the condolence register.
GbaramatuVoice writes that the late diplomat died on the 12th of August 2023 and his death came as a surprise to many Nigerians.
The traditional rulers with thier spouses who visited the Embassy are the Pere of the ancient Gbaramatu kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Oboro Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba; Pere of Arogbo-Ibe Ijaw Ibe kingdom, His Imperial Majesty, Pere (Barr) Zacchaeus Doubra Egbunu (JP), Opukutu III; the Pere of Gbaraun, His Royal Majesty, Egbesuwei Gbanraun X, Agadagba, Pere Of Ancient Gbanraun Kingdom, Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa State.
Others are the Pere of Olodiama Kingdom in Edo State, His Royal Majesty, King Godwin Ogoyinbo, Alagbabunafa III, and the Pere of Tobutoru kingdom of Ondo state, the Mighty Diamond and other traditional chiefs.
Pere (Barr) Zacchaeus Doubra Egbunu (JP), Opukutu III, the Pere of Arogbo Ibe kingdom, who spoke on behalf of other monarchs from the Niger Delta region prayed that there will be no reoccurrence of death again at the Nigerian Embassy.
According to him, the royal fathers were on holiday in France when they heard the shocking news and so they took out time to come to the embassy to express their condolence.
Pere Egbunu said: “We greet you, on behalf of the Royal fathers, Royal majesties that are present here, I will like to introduce to you I am Agadagba of Ondo state, We are here on a vacation actually for the tideous and laborious works Nigerian palaces is, we felt they should come and rest for a while, now while been here we thought it expedient to visit this embassy, a view of the fact that we had the death of late Ambassador Ibrahim Kayode Laro, It will be unwise of us as traditional rulers of the Niger Delta to be in this city of Paris without coming to pay our commiseration and sympathize with you, that’s the purpose of our visit, we are very sorry and our only prayer is that he finds a place in the bossom of his creator. We pray that God will give the entire embassy of France the spirit to bear this great loss. Amen”.
The Nigerian representative, His Excellency Tunde Mustapha in Charge of the Affairs, Nigeria Embassy in France, Paris (Acting Ambassador) who received the Agadagbas in the Embassy appreciated the Niger Delta Traditional Rulers for the show of love to their beloved country Nigeria and the people for finding time to come is a sign of committed leadership and patriotism and pray that they arrive safely back to their various kingdoms in the Nigeria.
Below is a profile of the late Nigeria’s Ambassador to France:
Ambassador Kayode Laro was born in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria on November 30, 1959.
Kayode Laro possessed a B.A degree in Geography from Ahmadu Bello University (1980) and a Masters’ degree in Economic Development and Planning from the United Nations Institute for Economic Development, Dakar, Senegal (1997).
His training at IDEP gave him an insight into the developmental challenges of African countries and how these challenges can be addressed.
During his career in the Nigerian Foreign Service spanning 35 years from December 1983 – December 2018, Laro served in various capacities at home and abroad giving him great exposure to global affairs.
He acquired skills in multilateral diplomacy through deployments to the Nigerian missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva. These deployments enhanced his skills as a negotiator and gave him insights into how diplomacy can be used to promote peace, security and development across the world.
Laro was a Fellow of the Defence College, having attended Course 17 (2008/2009) at the highest tri-service military training institution in Nigeria, the National Defence College Nigeria.
Laro’s interests included golf, chess, environmental issues, development, security and global affairs.
After retirement from the Foreign Service, Laro joined an Abuja-based think-tank Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development as a Senior Analyst.
Laro was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as an Ambassador in July 2020 and assigned to France. He arrived in France on May 15, 2021 to assume duty as the Nigerian Ambassador to France, with concurrent accreditation to Monaco.
As the Ambassador to France, his main role was to represent Nigeria’s interests in France and maintain diplomatic relations between the two countries. He was responsible for promoting trade, investment, and cultural exchange between Nigeria and France.
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