Some Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees Should Be In Prison – Keshi

A former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Joe Keshi, has faulted the second batch of ambassadorial nominees forwarded by President Bola Tinubu to the Senate for screening, describing many of the non-career nominees as unfit to represent Nigeria.

Keshi made his remarks on Monday during an interview on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme.

The ex-diplomat said while a few names on the list were commendable, the majority of the non-career nominees raised serious concerns about competence and integrity.

“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?” he said.

Keshi claimed some nominees had failed woefully in previous public roles and should not be rewarded with diplomatic appointments.

“You have people who, if justice had prevailed, and if this country had been run properly, and the rules of the game were obeyed, should actually be cooling their heels in prison and not being sent out as ambassadors,” he said.

“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.

“Those are the kind of people being rewarded, either because they have helped you to destroy other political parties,” he added.

Keshi stressed that Nigeria’s foreign service was originally designed to be professional, merit-driven and globally competitive — a vision he said was being eroded by political patronage.

“Look, as far back as the 1960s, when the diplomatic service was established, those who set up the service, particularly the Prime Minister, were very clear about the kind of diplomatic service they wanted for Nigeria,” he explained.

“He wanted a very competent, independent foreign service. He wanted officers… well trained, able to compete favourably with their peers all over the world.

“And the first generation of those recruited into the foreign service, for a long time, met the criteria, until the politicians came and started what they are doing today.”