By Babatunde Jimoh

The League of Imams and Alfas in South-West, Edo and Delta States, has expressed dissatisfaction over the move to close down the Lagos consul office of the Egyptian Embassy in Nigeria.

The group, in an open letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. Sameh Shoukry, said: “The proximity of South-West and South-South to Lagos cannot be compared to Abuja, where the embassy has another consul office. Asking people from these areas to travel to Abuja will amount to putting their lives at risk as a result of bad road networks in some parts of the country.“

The letter by Grand Imam, State/President, League of Imams and Alfa, Sheik Haroon Shuara, also noted that the proposed shut down of Lagos consul office will affect a vast majority of Nigerian Muslims and also inconvenience many Egyptians living in Lagos and other South-West states.

It urged Shoukry to borrow a leaf from other embassies which, apart from allowing online application, still maintain consul offices in Lagos and Abuja.