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- Says objectives enshrined in nation’s constitution
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has told critics of Nigeria’s foreign policy that the objectives exist and remain immovable, saying they are enshrined in the nation’s constitution.
Tuggar’s submission is coming amidst criticisms from observers of the nation’s foreign policy who argued that Nigeria has no clear-cut foreign policy objectives.
But delivering the annual Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN) lecture titled ‘The Nigerian Foreign Policy Agenda Under the Tinubu Administration’ in Abuja, Tuggar said the explanation became all the more necessary when one considers that many are fond of saying “Nigeria does not have a foreign policy” or “we need to develop foreign policy objectives.”
Tuggar said: “With regards to Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives, they exist and remain immovable because they are enshrined in our Constitution; they are, in summary; to promote and protect Nigeria’s national interest, to promote African integration and support African unity, promote international co-operation for the consolidation of universal peace and mutual respect among all nations and elimination of discrimination in all its manifestations.”
Tuggar further said that bearing in mind that Nigeria’s constitution is a purposive one and not simply regulative, there is more to do in terms of proactiveness to deliver on the foreign policy objectives.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda that catalogued President Bola Tinubu’s promises to Nigerians during the Presidential campaign further elucidated three objectives: to protect against all forms of external aggression; promote the best possible outcomes for Nigeria in all engagements with other nations; improve Nigeria’s standing and dignity among the comity of Nations,” Tuggar reiterated.
He recalled that while serving as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany during the transition period, he was fortunate to be asked to chair the sub-committee to work on the in-coming administration’s foreign policy agenda and the committee set about using the documents described above and many more to come up with the 4-D Diplomacy Agenda for the new government.
“This was done in consultation with the larger Policy Advisory Committee of the Transition and of course the President-elect. For those who may still not be familiar with the 4-Ds, they are: Democracy, Development, Demography and Diaspora.
“But I urge you to bear in mind that we are not simply sloganeering, but reducing a whole set key segment issues, root cause analyses based on prevailing state of affairs, and action plans of programmes into more manageable and comprehensible headlines. And the kernel of the 4Ds is Strategic Autonomy in an increasingly polarised global setting, as Nigeria seeks to maintain its independence and freedom of choice to deal with all friendly nations. Describe it, if you will as Nigeria continuing in its tradition of non-alignment,” Tuggar also said.
Speaking earlier, ARCAN President, Ambassador John Kayode Shinkaiye, said foreign policy is a very important, even crucial aspect of any nation’s governance.
Shinkaiye also said the formulation and execution of the foreign policy of the country is crucial as decisions made in that aspect of the nation’s governance have far reaching implications for Nigeria, the West Africa region, the African continent, and even beyond.
“It is important therefore that the new government sets appropriate
priorities and strategies and identify potential challenges that the government may face.
“It is recognised that Nigeria’s foreign policy will be shaped by, among other things, a combination of domestic factors and imperatives, regional dynamics and global realities. Understanding how these factors can affect the country’s position on many key issues, including security, economic cooperation, relations with other countries and the international community at large, is very important to the success of the Tinubu administration,” Shinkaiye said.
