Minister faults oppositions to Afro-centric foreign policy
08 January 2025 |
2:55 am
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has described those suggesting that Nigeria has no foreign policy, as well as agitators for a shift away from Afro-centric policy, as either ill-informed or deliberately disingenuous.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has described those suggesting that Nigeria has no foreign policy, as well as agitators for a shift away from Afro-centric policy, as either ill-informed or deliberately disingenuous.
In his piece entitled ‘Foreign Policy and the Path to Peace in a Dangerous Neighbourhood, yesterday, Tuggar noted that Nigeria’s foreign policy of promoting peace and prosperity was a constitutional obligation crucial for democratic growth, domestic peace and stable international order.
Listing the country’s five foreign policy objectives to include promotion and protection of the national interest, African integration and support for African unity, promotion of international cooperation for peace and mutual respect, respect of international law and treaty obligations as well as promotion of a just world economic order, he faulted calls from different quarters for redirection of focus away from Africa.
“I was born in a civil war and was not able to vote for my leader until I was in my 30s. Nigeria is now a country guided by the rule of law and a constitution that clearly defines our system of government.”
This includes our foreign policy objectives and, rightly, so because in an interconnected world, we define our sovereignty in the context of certain key principles, including our right to self-determination; the right to defend our autonomy and secure our borders and our responsibility to respect our obligations under international law.
“The Constitution also makes it clear why any responsible Nigerian government should be concerned when neighbours are governed without a constitution or codified rules.
“The sovereignty of our neighbours is their business. They can grant powers to whatever governing structures they deem fit and should expect their autonomy to remain safeguarded. But when our Interdependence Sovereignty overlaps, we equally have a right to exercise control over our borders in those cases, where neighbours face insurgencies that significantly comprise territorial integrity and state authority,” Tuggar stated.
He added that by virtue of its size, Nigeria has the additional responsibility of being the regional power despite strategies to diminish its position, adding: “Our constitution further reifies this leadership role right from the preamble, dedicating ourselves to promoting inter-African solidarity, integration, support for African unity and elimination of discrimination in all its manifestations.”
The minister held that to achieve lasting peace in Libya and the Sahel, there was a need for Nigeria to deal with neighbourhood countries as well as major powers. “For this reason, it does not make sense to simply deduce that Nigeria has to distance itself from France because that is the prevailing trend in its former colonies.
“As a nation, Nigeria is an adult and sophisticated enough to deal with countries without being unduly influenced because that has been part of our historical and civic tradition. You cannot cure an illness by picking which symptoms to consider and which to ignore.”
Tuggar pledged that Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would sustain diplomatic efforts towards Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, having a shared interest in peaceful co-existence.
According to the minister, while President Bola Tinubu continually pushed for the unconditional removal of ECOWAS sanctions against the three coup countries, they maintained their stance.
He said, “With the one-year notice period coming to an end in January 2025, Tinubu further pushed for ECOWAS to extend the grace period for another six months while intensifying diplomatic efforts.
“The response to this initiative last month was evidence-free allegations that Nigeria was harbouring foreign soldiers and sponsoring state terrorism. Whenever Tinubu and other democratic leaders offer stoic statesmanship and an opportunity to work together towards our common interests, it is met by confected controversy designed to divert and distract from a failure to meet the basic responsibilities of public administration.”
On his part, the minister explained several failed efforts to broker peace, including the proposed return visit that was suspended by Niger authority after a date had been fixed.
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