By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Tinubu’s recent ambassadorial list has ignited a firestorm of controversy, with former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Joe Keshi, delivering a scathing critique.
Keshi stated that some individuals nominated by the President are unfit for diplomatic service and, startlingly, suggested they “should be in prison.”
Keshi, who spoke during an interview with Channels TV on Monday, questioned the character of some of the nominees, who he claimed should have no business being in the diplomatic service “by any standard”.
He said: “I’m comfortable with some names on the list, but the truth of the matter is that the bulk of the people on the non-career list is a bit disturbing. Are these the kind of people we want to represent Nigeria?
“You have people who, if justice had prevailed and if this country had been run properly, and the rules of the game were obeyed, actually should be cooling their heels in the walls of the prison and not being sent out as ambassadors.
“You have people who have governed their states. They were absolute failures. They showed no leadership when they led their states, and the governors who took over from them are struggling to repair the damage they’ve done to their states.
“Those are the kind of people being rewarded, either because they have helped you to destroy other political parties, and the rest of it,” he added.
Keshi, however, said he believed there was a conspiracy against a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayo Oke, which led to his removal as the head of the agency.
But the diplomat said that senior officials in the foreign affairs ministry were bitter about their exclusion from the ambassadorial list.
According to him, Nigeria needs to send its best hands as ambassadors.
“Look, as far back as the 1960s, when the diplomatic service was established, those who established the diplomatic service, particularly the Prime Minister, were very clear in their mind about the kind of diplomatic service they wanted for Nigeria.
“He [the Prime Minister] wanted a very competent foreign service. He wanted an independent foreign service. He wanted officers of the foreign service to be well-trained, to be able to compete favourably with their peers all over the world.
“And the first generation of those recruited into the foreign service, and for a long time, met the criteria until the politicians came and started what they are doing today,” he stated.
