Vivian Okeke: Perspective is everything!
It is funny how things appear to us depending on which side of the prism we happen to be looking through.
Like many people, I've seen and heard what happened at the screening of Ambassadorial nominees.
It seemed ridiculous at the time so I've also shaken my head, had a good laugh and minded my business.
However, given all the comments I've heard and read since, keeping quiet isn't doing justice to either my conscience or to Mrs Vivian Okeke(one of the 2 nominees involved).
Before I go on, let me just put this out there: there is no cogent reason for not being able to recite the national anthem, more so when one is a diplomat.
I do not know the other nominee (who, ironically, is from my state) from Adam so I'm not vouching for him. Mrs Okeke, on the other hand, is someone I know and worked with.
For a week in Cotonou in December 2014, Mrs Okeke had been the leader of our delegation at the meeting of the Nigeria Benin Joint commission for cooperation (where she, ironically again, led us in singing this same anthem) and so I feel I can't keep quiet where her reputation is on the line.
Whatever the reason for her inability to recite the anthem was, no one, I repeat, no one should ever doubt or associate it with her competence.
She is a consummate diplomat who has paid her dues. Not only has she made the rounds in our various embassies and diplomatic missions, she has risen to the rank of a Director at the Foreign Ministry.
All that was on display for all of that week in Cotonou.
Let me say this: if all that is required for an ambassadorial posting Is an ability to recite the national anthem then, by all means, don't make Mrs Okeke an Ambassador.
If, however, the posting requires some expert diplomatic skills, then we are only going to cut off our nose to spite our faces.
This is the second time in a 2weeks I'm "forced" to chip in a word or 2 regarding an appointment. Mostly because people without a clue of the whole picture always decide to comment on a scene on it.
But that's Facebook and this is Nigeria.
It usually happens.
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