Buhari tasks new ambassadors on Nigeria’s image

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, charged new ambassadors to project Nigeria as a great country and good investment destination in their places of assignment.

He gave the charge during a virtual induction programme for ambassadors-designate at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headquarters in Abuja.

President Buhari reminded the diplomats, who would soon be deployed as the country’s representatives abroad to be of exemplary conduct in their assignments.

His words: “You have been nominated and appointed after a rigorous selection process, but with due consideration of your personal and professional qualities.

“The primary responsibility of Nigeria in the countries you are posted rests on you. I urge you to serve with dedication and pride.

“You must not forget that you have been posted to bilateral and multilateral missions to represent and project Nigeria as a great and indivisible nation and an attractive investment destination.

“As ambassadors, your comportment, courage, conduct and ability to multi-task must be exemplary. Humility and firmness are attributes that can earn you and the country respect and recognition. These attributes must remain with all of you in fulfilment of your duties.”

The President also stressed his administration’s nine priority areas of building a thriving and sustainable economy, poverty reduction, food security and fight against corruption among others, which he said, would help attain sustainable development and guide its foreign policy objectives.

He, therefore, urged the envoys to be guided by the goals as they represent Nigeria in foreign lands, adding that the government expected them to also protect the interest of Nigerians resident in those countries.

“You must strive to promote trade, human capacity development, foreign direct investments and other areas of cooperation with countries at national and multilateral levels, to support our national growth and development,” he added.

President Buhari also pointed out how the COVID-19 pandemic had ravaged the world and the need to tread carefully and embrace the new norm.

“You all are aware that for some time now, national and global resources have continued to shrink, a situation compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has changed the world order and the world will never be the same again.

“But we will continue to innovate and cope with the new norm in order to contain the catastrophic consequences of the pandemic,” he stated.

He said the challenges of terrorism, violent extremism, climate change, poverty, population explosion, cybercrimes and proliferation of arms, among others, which had negatively impacted Nigeria and other Africa countries, remained part of Nigeria’s critical trials.