HOW important is competence in appointment of public officers, especially in assignments at ambassadorial levels? The Senate, the confirming authority for ambassadorial appointments, thinks competence belongs elsewhere.

A semblance of a debate on national television on the confirmation of 25 career ambassadors showed the Senate at its best. Senator Jubril Aminu, former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, a professor of medicine, a former vice chancellor, led the committee that screened the nominees.

Everything seemed in order, except that the public had known that one nominee could not sing the national anthem, after three attempts. She could not recite the national pledge too.

While the committee attested to the general poor level of performance of the 25 nominees, the inability of a prospective ambassador to sing the national anthem became the most important issue at the confirmation.

Nominees often have challenges with the national anthem. A 1981 ambassadorial nominee to the Soviet Union set the Senate rolling in laughter when he broke into, “Nigeria we hail thee,” the opening line of the former national anthem. On a prompt, he sang anthem well.

Aminu and his colleagues put up lame defences for the current nominee whose husband is a serving ambassador.

“She demonstrated fair knowledge of the job and what is required of her as an ambassador… but was not knowledgeable on specific and general issues concerning the diplomatic concerns of Nigeria,” Aminu said in his report to the Senate.

“She was nervous during the interview,” added Grace Bent, a member of the committee. She must have been nervous not to know the capital of Jigawa State. Bob Effiong, another committee member made a long speech concluding that the nominee should be confirmed, “so that she will retire as an ambassador.”

Mr. Aminu told the Senate that though he was personally against her approval and had advised she learns about Nigeria first, most committee members were lobbied to approve her.

“I was in the minority,” he said. In solidarity with his committee members he said the nominee should be approved with “benefit of the doubt” because she was a career diplomat and next in line for the position.

“We cannot continue to allow mediocrity,” Olorunmibe Mamora, leader of the opposition said. “It is not helping us; we cannot allow this lady pass.” The leadership of the senate, however, pleaded with colleagues to “temper justice with mercy.”

“Her case is a case of what we call poor pass,” Senate president, David Mark, said.

The Senate scored lowly in the exercise. The deficiencies in the exercise defeat its purpose. Why should unqualified nominees be confirmed?

It was clear too that the Senate had no criteria for the screening. Nor were there standards for the confirmation. The debates about the qualifications of one nominee made it impossible to scrutinise the other 24 nominees.

Was it not obvious the case was too bad to pass? If the quality of career ambassadors is doubtful, what quality shall we expect when political appointees are proposed as ambassadors?

The Senate again failed Nigerians.