Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has recounted how the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari successfully navigated a similar designation by the United States when Nigeria was declared a “country of particular concern”.

He spoke in Abuja on Thursday while announcing plans for the 45th Anniversary Reunion Gala and Lecture of the Nigerian Law School (NLS) Class of 1980.

He said the event, being held under the theme “The Nigerian Legal Profession at Crossroads”, will feature a keynote lecture with the topic “Reassessing the Nigerian Legal Profession in the 21st Century – A Cry for Urgent Reforms”, to be delivered by Prof. Andrew Chukwuemerie (SAN), with Emmanuel Ukala (SAN) and Prof. Koyinsola Ajayi (SAN) as discussants.

Mustapha advised the current government to prioritise diplomatic engagement over public outcry in addressing the recent decision by the Trump administration.

He explained that the Buhari administration responded through careful diplomacy, dispatching a team of technocrats to Washington and leveraging global relationships to engage key players behind the scenes.

He said, “Well, because of the experience I have, this is not the first time we have been declared a country of particular concern. In 2000 and 2020, the same Trump put us there, but without the drama that this one followed. There was no tweet. It was just at the level of a policy decision.

“And, I remember then, we engaged; we dispatched a team to Washington, made up of technocrats. We applied soft diplomacy in terms of reaching out to friends within the global diplomatic community. And we leveraged the advantage of the stature of President Buhari to talk.

“A lot of things happen in the diplomatic clime behind closed doors. It is not for media consumption. And, eventually, we got Biden in 2021 to delist us. I expect that that is what is ongoing now. And, I believe that there should be less noise and more engagement.”

Stressing the importance of discretion in international relations, Mustapha added:

“President Buhari will always remind me that America has a big stick, and if they hit your head with it, the headache will never disappear. In his lighter moods, he would always remind me that caution in dealing with superpowers is important.

“Constant engagement, political back-end engagements, and leveraging friendship globally are equally important in the resolution of the issues now. We will resolve it. Nigeria is a great country. We have 230 million people,” he said.

He reassured Nigerians of the country’s resilience and global significance, saying Nigeria is a great country with 230 million people.

“It is not in the interest of anyone that the country should disintegrate, given the consequences for the continent. Globally, the world is not interested in our breakup because of the enormity of problems that would overflow Africa.”

He noted that the Nigerian Law School (NLS) Class of 1980 has produced a remarkable array of jurists, politicians, and professionals who have excelled across various fields of endeavour.

Among the alumni are a serving Justice of the Supreme Court, around 10 Justices of the Court of Appeal, including the current President of the Court of Appeal, and several Cabinet members, eminent judges, and Chief Judges of High Courts.

The class also counts about twenty Senior Advocates of Nigeria, including one whose law firm was recently ranked among the top ten in Africa, as well as academics, some of whom have become Royal Fathers, such as HRM the Asagba of Asaba, the class President.

He said that the alumni have gone beyond celebration to make tangible contributions to society, including supporting the release of eight inmates from the Nigerian Correctional Service in Keffi and donating N5,032,500 to the NLS Port Harcourt Campus for urgent projects.