Asking Nigeria To Shut Down Schools Is Crass Ignorance – Turkish School Lashes At Ambassador

“The call therefore by the Turkish Ambassador is not only baseless, but it is also unfounded and of poor taste.
“Nigeria is a sovereign country and the call by the Turkish Ambassador is not only an affront to the sovereignty of the Nigerian nation but a display of the crass ignorance.”
These were the words of the management of the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges (NTIC) operating in Abuja, the Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The statement was signed by Mr. Cemal Yigit in reaction to the request by the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Hakan Cakil, that Nigerian Government should close down 17 Turkish schools in Nigeria.
The Turkish school management, which described the Ambassador’s request on Nigerian government as spurious, said even the Ambassador’s statement was misleading.
It said that as a law abiding school operating in Nigeria since 1998, “we owe Nigerians a duty to expose the ulterior motives of the Turkish Ambassador in the said statement.
“The Nigerian Turkish International Colleges (NTIC) has the vision to create a modern, conducive environment for teaching and learning, to produce intelligent youths who become productive members of Nigerian society.
“The NTIC is not a Turkish government run institution, but a privately funded institution by a group of Turkish investors.
“As a responsible organization operating in Nigeria since 1998, we are conversant with the laws of the land and we have to the best of our ability, abide by these stipulations.
“The NTIC schools in Nigeria are Turkish in name but Nigerian in deeds. We are partners in progress as evident in all our activities since 1998.
“The NTIC is non-political and non-partisan. Our Philosophy is centered on Dialogue, Love, and Tolerance.
“The general public is at this moment urged to ignore and disregard the statement by the Turkish ambassador. Our schools are fully functional and will continue to be.”[myad]