The Federal government, recently, launched an ambitious new foreign policy objective to strengthen Nigeria's diplomatic engagements on the platform of the 'Renewed Hope' agenda of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, who unveiled the the policy framework said that they are anchored on "4D" Principles which are Democracy, Development, Demography and Diaspora to reposition Nigeria in contemporary times and put the country on the pathway to actualizing its objectives and so as to benefit from engagements.
Nigeria's foreign policy objectives have remained largely unchanged since the nation launched itself into the global arena at independence in 1960. Africa has remained the centerpiece of Nigeria's foreign policy which the country has pursued vigorously, from the time Africa emerged from colonial rule to the contemporary times.
The country invested heavily and contributed immensely in the liberation struggle in Africa and helped to free South Africa from the stranglehold of Apartheid. Nigeria's contributions to peacekeeping operations in the world, perhaps, far outweigh the contribution of any other. Its foreign policy is geared towards promoting and protecting Nigeria's national interest and promoting African integration.
It was, therefore, apt to see Nigeria announce the 4Ds, which if properly harnessed could strengthen international co-operation for the consolidation of universal peace and mutual respect among all nations and also boost Nigeria's image.
According to Tuggar, First' D' which is Democracy, will demonstrate Nigeria's commitment to entrenching the values and norms of democracy in Africa and other parts of the world. Nigeria has enjoyed a long -stretch of democratic rule since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999 such that the country is the largest democracy in Africa and this must be the emphasis of the 4Ds. This is fundamental to the political development of Africa especially now that the continent is experiencing rising cases of coups and coup attempts.
The second "D", which is Development, affirmed the importance of working to enhance Nigerian and African development, in order to halt the circle of dependency which is against the interest of Africa. In this regard, Nigeria might exploit the opportunities presented by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to facilitate the exchange of goods and services and boost trade and investment through economic cooperation.
The Third D, which is Demography, challenges the Tinubu administration to use the country's demographic advantage to harness its human capital resources for development. For instance, the youth population of this country is making significant impacts in fintech, music, arts, and sports among others. Therefore, the foreign policy and diplomatic engagement should be used to showcase the vibrant young talent and skills that our young population possesses for national development.
On the Fourth D (Diaspora), it is an established fact that the Diaspora community plays a major role in the development of Nigeria. Prior to COVID-19 pandemic, remittances from Nigerians in the Diaspora had reached about $25 billion and has become a significant contributor to Nigeria's economic growth and development. The foreign policy thrust based on the Conceptual Framework of a 4Ds can boost Nigeria's Diaspora Remittances to over USD $30 billion per annum in coming years if properly harnessed.
In as much as we believe that the new Foreign policy objectives appear impressive but they have to pass through the crucible of the current realities facing the nation both domestically and on the foreign scene. We believe that Nigeria's contributions to world peace and progress have not been reciprocated by beneficiary countries especially in Africa.
In some cases, however, the country has failed to position itself strategically to reap some benefits where it has created an atmosphere for peace. A typical example is Sierra Leone and Liberia where Nigeria's commitment to return the countries to peace and democracy was unparalleled, yet Nigeria did not take adequate advantage of that to boost its investment and perhaps take over the economic benefits accruing from such commitment leaving it to Indians, Lebanese, and the Chinese.
In South Africa, Nigeria was seen as a frontline state during the struggle against Apartheid. The evil racist regime was eventually dismantled and democratic rule returned to the country that is accommodative to all races. However, South Africa did not show enough gratitude to these immense efforts by Nigeria, rather Nigerians citizens who went to the former Apartheid enclave have been subjected to periodic xenophobic attacks leading to deaths and destruction of their property.
We advise that the Tinubu government must take strategic steps to make Nigerian foreign policy work first for Nigerian interest and protect Nigerians everywhere. That is what will give meaning to the 4D policy. Nigeria appears to be losing its clout on the international scene following successive years of economic constraints that have reduced the citizens to migrants in search of greener pastures outside its territory and in most cases facing obnoxious situations.
The Tinubu Government should as a matter of urgency revive the Nigerian economy to lift Nigerians out of the increasing poverty in the country. This has become imperative as foreign policy, according to experts, is a product of a country's domestic policy.
Nigeria's poverty rate is very alarming. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 133.3 million Nigerians are suffering from multidimensional poverty. This represents 63 per cent of the country's population of an estimated 220 million people. Unemployment crisis has continued unabated especially among the youth even as inflation hit over 27 per cent in Nigeria with food inflation at over 32 per cent. These are very ugly statistics and they are driving many people into more frustration and are a recipe for future disaster if not tackled.
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According to the Economic Report of Africa (ERA 2023), the position of Nigeria and other African countries is pathetic. The ERA advised Nigeria to focus on three economic fundamental gaps to get the basics right: skill gaps; infrastructure gaps and overall institutional quality gaps. We believe this is the right way to go.
Nigeria must take steps to promote regional value chains. According to the ERA Nigeria and other African countries can collaborate in creating, for example, regional agricultural commodity markets that will help to connect surplus economies with net importers for wheat, sugar and rice to reduce dependency.
There is no time for rhetoric; Nigeria must articulate well-designed national development plans and good governance, as well as structural transformation through equitable green growth and smart industrial strategies.
Fundamental action must also be taken to address the issue of insecurity in the country if the country must attract the much coveted foreign investment amid rigorous measures to boost the nation's exports which are at the lowest ebb at the moment.
