AFTER seven years as the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida on Thursday bowed out of the office he has occupied since 2008, when the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua appointed and sent him over to serve.

A one-time personal physician to Second Republic President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Tafida, who is now the longest-serving Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK, was honoured in an unusual way – and perhaps the first of its kind when the banking hall of the Northumberland Avenue office of the Mission was named after him.

The Head of Information at the embassy, Simon Ogah, confirmed this to The Guardian yesterday, noting that the banking hall was renamed after the soft spoken, but hard working Second Republic senator, who is set to leave for Nigeria today.

Prior to biding goodbye to staff and members of the embassy, the Nigerian community had treated him and his wife to a series of activities and send off parties in the last couple of days.

Tafida, during his time brought changes to the once notoriously chaotic embassy and also got rid of a passport racket that dragged the name of the mission in the mud, while ripping off UK-based Nigerians who wanted to get new passports.

During his last media session last Monday, he disclosed how he personally requested that the insider who was collaborating with others to charge between £500 and £700 for Nigerian passport was recalled to Nigeria, by personally taking a letter to Abuja to ensure it got to the right person.   “People were paying between £500 to £700 to an account,” he revealed on Monday, noting that he wanted “the culprit removed, and he was removed.”