Nigeria’s ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has revealed plans to attempt climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for the fourth time, stating that he intends to raise the Nigerian flag at the summit as part of efforts to promote a positive image of the country.
Omokri made the disclosure on Wednesday during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television.
“It’s going to be my fourth mountain,” Omokri said.
“I summited the mountain last time. I climbed and I summited, and obviously the oxygen levels are lower on the mountain. So, yes, I did faint, I was revived, but I succeeded.”
When asked about the goal of the expedition, he explained that the objective is to raise Nigeria’s flag at the summit of Africa’s tallest mountain.
“Yeah, on top of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is the tallest mountain in Africa, the highest point in Africa. There’s no point in Africa higher than that,” he said.
He further noted that the planned climb is intended to showcase Nigeria positively on the global stage, adding that both international and local media organisations will accompany him.
“I’m going there with foreign and local media just to show that Nigeria is rising, to talk about the economic progress we’re making, about the advancements in our country,” he said.
“Effective rebranding is a projection of positive things that are happening.”
Omokri also cited earlier mountaineering experiences to highlight the publicity such expeditions can generate.
“When I went to Everest, obviously I wasn’t successful, but at least I got to some point. The photo was in the British press,” he said.
“So I want to do this again, so that we can use that opportunity to project Nigeria positively.”
Reflecting on past climbs, he said, “I was on Mount Entoto, and the humidity and oxygen levels are very low. I was there with Haile Gebrselassie, and Mount Kilimanjaro is significantly higher than Entoto. Mountains like Machu Picchu that I’ve climbed are also significantly higher than Entoto.”
Despite the physical challenges involved in such expeditions, Omokri maintained that his main objective is to use the climb as a platform to highlight Nigeria’s development and progress internationally.
