By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

The recent five day retreat on protocol organized by the office of the First Lady was indeed revealing. It was an opportunity to build up the decorum of the spouses of the nation’s political leaders and equip them for the challenges of dealing with the public.

It remarkably came against the background of the public spat last year between the First Lady and Governor Chibuke Amaechi at a public ceremony in Okrika, Rivers State. The retreat was also attended by wives of Governors, presiding officers of the National Assembly, service chiefs among other spouses of the nation’s political leaders.

Declaring open the retreat that dwelt on protocol, etiquette and administration on their daily official functions at the serene environment of Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River State, Dame Jonathan said that the retreat was aimed at equipping the participants with the International Best Practices on Protocol, Etiquette and Administration in their daily official functions.

The first lady who expressed joy that the retreat was taking place in a beautiful environment said that she had no doubt that the Obudu environment will afford all the participants the opportunity of deep concentration and absorption of the lectures by experts that have been invited as resource persons at the retreat.

She said that the retreat was timely as the nation currently seeks positive transformation in all aspects of national life and that if things must be got right, there must be a radical transformation in the way things are done in the country.

“This is the main reason we are all here; to learn new approaches that are in conformity with international standards and best practices. The retreat therefore, will enable us acquire practical skills that are in consonance with the transformation agenda of the Goodluck / Sambo administration”, she said.

The President’s wife noted that the lectures and presentations at the retreat were designed to be practical and interactive, stressing that they were designed to provide knowledge that will not only expand their horizon but also boost confidence and help when they support their spouses in the conduct of their official duties.

According to her the retreat was organized to bring about style, substance and best global practices to bear in official and social engagements; instill in participants attitudes that protect sensitive national dignities at major formal and informal occasions and to gain insight into the principle and practice of smooth, graceful, orderly, decent, proper dress code and efficient conduct of functions involving national and international dignitaries.

Besides, she said that at the end of the retreat participants were expected to acquire proper communication skills with respect of public speaking and speech presentation; when to speak, what to say, what not to say and use of proper language in public in view of their dignified positions.

“At the end f this retreat we are all expected to have acquired an improved understanding of universally acceptable principles and best practices in Protocol, Etiquette, Courtesy, Effective Administration and Time Management. We would all also have gained new and additional knowledge needed to go through and manage international dynamics in important meetings”, she submitted.

Dame Jonathan advised the participants to take  the knowledge and skills acquired there to their various constituencies and help to impart them to identified targeted groups and individuals, pointing out that its overall effect would no doubt help in the transformation agenda.

She commended their host Governor Liyel Imoke and his wife, the hostess Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke for the warm reception accorded them right from their arrival in the state.

In her address of welcome, wife of the Cross River State governor, Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke commended Dame Jonathan for choosing the ranch resort for the retreat and said the retreat was intended to be a life changing experience which would benefit not just the participants but generations unborn.
“What better way to affirm the Women for Change and development Initiative which has reverberated across the Nation like a Tsunami in recent times. Courtesy again of Her Excellency, Dame (Dr) Patience Jonathan, the initiator and Grand Patron”, she said.

Mrs. Imoke recalled that after the April general elections in the country when President Jonathan visited the state with his wife Dame Patience to have a rest at the mountain resort after the rigorous electioneering campaigns. The President and his wife according to her took time out of the working vacation to catch up with not just endless paper work, but also an opportunity for them to relive memories of their earlier days in the natural environment offered by Obudu.

“She immediately fell in love with this resort and never hesitated to voice her opinion.  Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, It was during this visit that Her Excellency First muted the idea of organizing a retreat of this nature at The Obudu Mountain Resort. “I stand here today in all humility and total submission to the Almighty creator and I must give all the Glory to the almighty God who located this wonderful and breathtaking mountain Resort in Cross River State, which the State Government has now prepared and given to Nigeria as a pride and to the world for business and leisure”.

“Thank you Your Excellency Ma, for making this possible. It is only a true mother that has the good of her children uppermost in her heart that constantly thinks of ways of uplifting her children and that is what we are benefitting from today, one of the many advantages of having a good mother”, she said.

She said the state’s tourism events calendar begins from August with the celebration of the Yakurr New Yam Festival popularly known as Leboku international new yam festival which sets the tone for the celebration of New Yam Festivals all over the State.

As a tourism state, Mrs. Obioma Imoke said that every November, the world sporting community congregate at the Obudu Mountain Resort for the highest paying Mountain Race in the world, while in the whole of December, the State celebrates the 32 day Christmas festival extravaganza, which climaxes with the two day Calabar carnival, an event which is known as Africa’s Biggest Street Party!
She said the retreat opens the state’s tourism calendar for this year on a high profile manner, adding, “It is my belief that we will take time off this very important business of training on etiquette and protocol to visit the alluring sites within the Obudu Mountain Resort which includes canopy walkway, the water parks at the bottom of the hill, the bird watching huts, the honey factory, the dairy section which is also home to the Resort Mascot Bull Donald and the natural spring waters all located within the resort”.

Mrs. Imoke appealed to the participants as they savored the serene environment of the ranch resort, that they should also convince their husbands to rather spend the summer and other holidays at the ranch instead of Europe, USA, South Africa, Kenya and the rest, enthusing that, “We in Cross River State refer to this resort as the Switzerland of Nigeria, the tourism sector on Africa has named it one of the seven wonders of Africa”.

It is believed that the retreat which was attended by the crème la crème of women in the country would produce effective results and that the participants would put into practice all the objectives of the retreat in their various offices and not allow personal ego and the exalted positions they find themselves to becloud their sense of reasoning and make them to think that the position is an eternal one.