The Federal Government of Nigeria has in furtherance of efforts at consolidating the subsisting bilateral relations between Nigeria and Haiti, completed the construction of Benoit Batraville High School located in Saut-D’eau, Haiti.
The project, initiated as Nigeria’s response to the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010, was supported by well- meaning Nigerians and the Red Cross Society.
It would be recalled that the project was suspended in 2015 due to unforeseen circumstances but rejuvenated by the Nigerian government through its High Commission in Jamaica that was concurrently accredited to Haiti in 2022
Recall that the commissioner had invited Mmesoma to her office in the heat of the controversy and subsequently handed her over to the men of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), who questioned her over the incident.
The mission, after satisfying due process requirements, awarded the contract to a Jamaican based Benson Construction Company. Despite all odds including security challenges in Haiti, the project commenced in February 2023 and was completed in record time by August 23.
The building was handed over to the Haitian authorities on 29th August 2023, while the handover was ongoing, speeches and goodwill messages were delivered via zoom by top government functionaries of both countries.
In attendance were Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Jamaica with concurrent accreditation to Haiti, Dominican Republic and Belize; H.E Amb. Maureen Tamuno, Minister of Education Haiti; Mr Nesmy Manigat, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Haiti, representing the Minister of Foreign Affairs Haiti;Mr Azad Belfort, and senior government officials from Haiti.
In her remarks, H.E Maureen Tamuno applauded the bilateral relations between both countries, and expressed delight at the delivery of the project. She expressed her thanks to God for seeing her team through and seized the opportunity to thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his Renewed Hope Agenda and commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
