Victor Ezeja
Veteran diplomat, Ambassador Joe Keshi, has been elected to serve as National President of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN) for a term of two years.
This was made known in statement released by the ARCAN Publicity Secretary, Ambassador Martine Gereng-Sen.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelKeshi’s Career in Diplomacy
Ambassador Keshi is a former permanent secretary, Cabinet secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and former national coordinator, Nigeria National Volunteer Service. He was a career diplomat for 35 years and served in seven Nigerian diplomatic missions during his career and headed several departments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Keshi was a member of the international group that drafted the Sierra Leonean Peace Accord that ended the ten years civil war in Sierra Leone. He is also well recognised for his role and efforts in initiating Nigeria’s engagement with its Diaspora as the National Coordinator of the Nigerian National Volunteer Service.
As Consul-General of Nigeria in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, he made significant efforts in mobilizing the Nigerian Diaspora to be involved in Nigeria’s development process.
He is also an ex-Chairman and vice chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), which is currently one of the leading commercial banks in Nigeria and a couple of other African countries.
Ambassador Keshi is also a renowned analyst on international and domestic affairs.
Educational Background
Keshi is an Alumni of University of Ibadan where he studied Political Science, and the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) where he obtained a diploma in International Affairs. He also bagged Masters In Administration and Policy Analyses from the Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University, Hage, The Netherland.
He is also a Fellow of John Kennedy School of Government and Administration, Harvard University, and a Fellow of the Harvard Business School.
While making his acceptance speech, Keshi promised to ensure that the Association continues to cater for members’ welfare as well as provide sound and balanced advice to the federal government on foreign policy issues.
Others elected to various positions in ARCAN, include Ambassadors Lai Laseinde, and Haruna Wando, as 1st and 2nd National Vice Presidents respectively. Ambassador Ali Ocheni was elected secretary-General.
According to the Publicity Secretary, “the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria, is a registered Non- Profit organisation for over 300 former Nigerian diplomats who during their career, served the nation in various capacities both in Nigeria’s diplomatic missions abroad and at headquarters and directorate levels.”
Ambassador Gereng-Sen further explained that “apart from catering for the welfare of its members, the Association continues to show interest in global affairs and development and as occasions demand provided advice to dothe federal government to help advance Nigeria’s foreign policy.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
