Nigeria’s foreign policy must respond to world challenges – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has stated that Nigeria’s foreign policy must be in tandem with the evolving world and respond to challenges of the century.

The Vice President gave the directive on Tuesday in his remarks during the 1st Annual Foreign Service Public Lecture with the Topic: “Reflections in Nigeria’s Foreign Policy, Diplomacy and Foreign Service” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Conference hall.

Osinbajo said that the Federal government will support the Foreign Affairs with all the necessary funds to ensure that it competes favourably in the international arena for favourable economic and policy bargain for the country.

He said that Federal Government will continue to be guided by the foreign derivatives that will benefit the country and support the dignity of the African and Nigerian person across the globe.

He stressed that Nigeria’s foreign policy must be consistent with international development and address challenges of security, cyber crimes, cross boarder criminality and the challenges of foreign service in a modern era.

According to him, the country must use nobel tools to address the new global challenges and explore it’s strength in sports, music, drama and movie to change the image of Nigeria which will in turn lead to capital inflow that will strengthen the Naira.

These tools, he maintained, ought to be used to challenge government to be more proactive and change the negative narratives of the country.

Osinbajo stressed that the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the present administration is to open Nigeria to the globe and attract more investment to the country in energy, oil and gas, solid minerals, tourism and other sectors.

In his reamrks, the Chairman of the lecture and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon recanted that during the military era, foreign policy formulation was squarely on the hands of the Head of State and government, adding that he had to delegate the duty later in his nine years of administration, and appointed a civilian Minister of Foreign Affairs to take care of the foreign desk so as to spare some time for governance.

He mentioned that during his regime, Nigeria was at the heart of Africa’s Foreign Policy.

He also pointed out that Nigeria’s foreign policy must be adequately funded and government must provide all the assistance needed by the Ministry to enable them do their job both at home and abroad.

Also in his remarks the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, said that since 1957 when the Foreign Ministry was created, it has distinguished itself in the formulation of foreign policies which has been implemented by various government.

He noted that economic and citizens diplomacy was formulated to give very good deliverables for the country although some of the benefits are intangible.

He pointed out that once the foreign policy objectives are spelt out, the ministry puts in place everything to ensure its implementation across the 109 missions and in consonance with the fast moving needs of the world.

He noted that economic diplomacy is in line with Economic Recovery and Growth Plan and meant to grow the economy both locally and internationally.

He called for more funding of the ministry so as to raise its foreign policy trust. He said that the many successes of the ministry has been enmeshed due to paucity of funds, noting that the ministry has raised professionals and leaders in international arena and decision making tables where they project the nations image.

He reported that the ministry has been able to wade into the slave market in Libya and has repatriated many Nigerians trapped in Libya just as it intervened in the xenophobic attack in South Africa where an early warning signals were worked out although, according to him, it has not yielded the desired result.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olakunle Akindele Bamgbose in his welcome address, said the ministry as the custodian of the nations foreign policy, sets the tone for international interaction while preserving its mandate although he pointed out that it’s implementation has been very slow.

Present at the lecture were Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, House Committee Chairman, Hon Nnenna Elendu Ukaeje, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Ministers of Information, Lai Mohammed, Defence, Dan Ali, Science and Technology, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu among other ambassadors and retired diplomats.