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By Lawrence Agbo
The Director-General of the Civil Society Organisation for Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative, Kunle Yusuf, has called on the Federal Government to reassess its diplomatic relations with countries that he described as unfriendly towards Nigerians.
Yusuf made the call while reacting to xenophobic attacks faced by Nigerians in South Africa, describing the situation as painful and disappointing.
Speaking on Politics Today, he said it was particularly troubling that such actions were coming from South Africa, a country with which Nigeria shares longstanding historical and diplomatic ties.
“It’s painful. It’s startling that this is happening to Nigerians. South Africa is not the nation that’s supposed to have done this to us, but this has been done,” he said.
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The civil society leader urged Nigerian authorities to pursue a more pragmatic diplomatic strategy aimed at strengthening bilateral relations while also protecting the interests of citizens abroad.
According to him, the Federal Government should begin reviewing its approach towards countries whose actions undermine Nigeria and its citizens.
“What do we need to do? It is to pragmatically develop a concept that will improve our diplomatic relationship, and also, the Federal Government of Nigeria should begin to review international sanctions on the countries that are not friendly to Nigeria. It’s done all over the world,” Yusuf stated.
He argued that Nigeria must adopt measures that encourage mutual respect in international relations, adding that protecting the rights and dignity of Nigerians abroad should remain a priority of the country’s foreign policy.
