The Nation Newspaper Appraising Tinubu’s foreign policy scorecard
My primary foreign policy objective must be the peace and stability of the West African subregion and the African continent. We shall work with ECOWAS, the AU and willing partners in the international community to end extant conflicts, and to resolve new ones. As we contain threats to peace, we shall also retool our foreign policy to more actively lead the regional, continental, and global quest for collective prosperity.
For instance, Tinubu’s foreign policy initiatives are observed to have deliberately accorded the West African sub region, under the auspices of ECOWAS, topmost priority, followed by the African continent under the auspices of AU, and then the rest of the world. His status was quickly elevated when the ECOWAS member states unanimously elected him as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, to succeed President Umaro Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, who had held the reins between 2022 and 2023.
The Niger coup sparked an immediate outrage and reaction from Tinubu, who quickly convened an emergency meeting of the body where stringent punitive measures were taken against the Niger military putchists, including the threat of military action, should they fail to restore Bazoum. While this visit may appear ceremonial on the surface, deep down, it represented a significant step in the efforts by the two countries to consolidate their age-long relationship of good neighborliness.
“I must commend President Bola Tinubu for all the foreign policy initiatives he made, which have kept ECOWAS together in the face of recent challenges. “He is very strong in his opposition to military interventions because, having elected democratic governments over any other form of government, including military intervention, is the only accepted form of governance globally.
According to him, Tinubu’s administration’s newly defined foreign policy projection is encapsulated in the ‘4Ds’, namely Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora. “Mr President emphasizes the significance of engaging with regional organizations, such as the AU, ECOWAS and forging strong partnerships with international allies,” Tuggar said.As a bold step towards curbing the surging scourge of terrorism and violent conflicts sweeping across West Africa, President Tinubu recently hosted a two-day African high-level counter-terrorism summit in Abuja, attended by African presidents, AU President, UN deputy secretary general, among others.
“Terrorism snaps at the very fabric of the prosperous and just society, which we seek to build for ourselves and our children. The pact was signed by world leaders to prioritise support for and investment in vulnerable countries, in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change, the energy crisis, and healthcare, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic on developing countries’ economies.
As a demonstration of his genuine commitment to addressing the existential threat of climate change issues, Tinubu has also recently established a Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions. Sharing his view on the dividends of these efforts, especially the Paris summit’s benefits, Ayokunle Olubunmi, head of financial institutions ratings firm, Agusto and Co, said it offered Tinubu the opportunity “to put his best foot forward, present his plans, talk to foreign investors, market Nigeria, and gain the trust of the international community.”
Addressing world leaders at the summit, Tinubu declared Nigeria’s commitment to promoting shared prosperity and security, and called for global unity and cooperation in tackling pressing challenges, fostering inclusiveness, and establishing a fairer world order. “A world that lives as one family, but is divided by staggering income inequalities, and uneven access to basic social goods by the vast majority of our people, cannot result in a peaceful and secure world, where shared prosperity is achieved.
During the summit, which held in St Petersburg, Russia, Nigeria was able to secure in a single stroke a whooping fortune of 14 billion dollars pledge of Foreign Direct Investment for the country. “Our immediate shared fortune is the pledge of 3 billion dollars by Jindal Steel and Power of India, which will see Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mills working again, after being abandoned at 95 per cent completion stage since 1994.”
Tinubu, through Vice President Kashim Shettima, reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to playing a major role in shaping global framework and governance in the areas of finance, climate change, digital economy and post-pandemic recovery. The President’s speech highlighted five themes namely, the need for global institutions and other nations to see Africa as a priority; an affirmation of democratic governance as the best guarantor of sovereign will, and the challenges posed by terrorism and violent extremism.
“The question is not whether Nigeria is open for business. The question is how much of the world is truly open to doing business with Nigeria and Africa in an equal, mutually beneficial manner. “African nations will fight climate change but must do so on our own terms. Africa is nothing less than the key to the world’s future.“Foreign entities, abetted by local criminals, who aspire to be petty warlords, have drafted thousands of people into servitude to illegally mine gold and other resources,” he stressed.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, for instance, reiterated this disposition recently during the visit of a U.S. congressional delegation, which he led, to Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, noting that Nigeria and the U.S. were partners bound by shared values of democracy, rule of law, and commitment to peace and good governance.
“You’re someone who believes so much in your people that they you can make difficult decisions and know that their country is resilient and strong to endure so that it can emerge stronger on the other side,” Booker said. “The U.S. is committed to fostering its collaboration with Nigeria in order to tackle myriad pressing issues and obstacles, which Nigeria, being Africa’s largest economy, is facing.
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