Between two enlightened interests

Some years ago, I asked somebody who should know, why Nigeria could not lower it’s import duty to attract importers who chose to patronize the ports of neighbouring countries because their import duty is more attractive. He told me, from a position of knowledge and privileged information, that it was a deliberate policy to assist […]

Some years ago, I asked somebody who should know, why Nigeria could not lower it’s import duty to attract importers who chose to patronize the ports of neighbouring countries because their import duty is more attractive. He told me, from a position of knowledge and privileged information, that it was a deliberate policy to assist less endowed neighbours of Nigeria. The objective is that in the process of using our land borders to import goods, a number of countries like Republic of Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic will benefit in one way or the other. This was when Africa was the center piece of our foreign policy, and there was an attempt to create a synergy between foreign and local policies.

For over a decade, the countries were benefitting, not from our generosity or benevolence, but from an enlightened interest, because in foreign relations you need your neighbours as much as they need you, no matter how less important they may appear. You need their votes when it comes to voting at international forum. You also need them for your security. Remember how President Buhari went to all our neighbours especially Cameroon, Chad and Niger, seeking their co-operation to tackle the insurgency in Nigeria. There is no way we can succeed, no matter our economic resources or military hardware without their support.

But on short notice the Federal Government banned the importation of vehicles and rice through the land borders. The government did this in the national interest. Unfortunately, the neighbouring countries benefit most from the two products. The ban has therefore affected them adversely.

I was in Maradi, Niger Republic, recently when somebody asked me what is happening in Nigeria, because according to him any time life is good for them in Maradi, they know it is from Nigeria and anytime they are in difficulty they focused on Nigeria to find out why. He said life is now difficult for them in Maradi in particular and in their country as a whole. I tried to explain to him how the policies in Nigeria are affecting them, and the need for more revenue to finance the about seven trillion Naira budget in Nigeria. He asked what a trillion is, and while I was explaining, he said I should stop because that arithmetic has not reached their country (wannan lissafin bai iso nan kasar ba). 

Of course, countries are guided by national interest. But national interest is not the same thing with selfish interest, and it cannot be divorced from the interests of other countries because you need them to realize your national interest no matter how strong your country is. 

It is not on humanitarian ground that European countries are spending their money in developing countries. It is a weapon of actualizing foreign policy objectives by making threat to apply economic sanction and suspend financial assistance whenever their interest is threatened. There is nothing like free launch even in Freetown.

There are three identifiable foreign policy directions in Nigeria. First, post colonial Nigeria when the policy was pro-West. Second, the Murtala/Obasanjo era when our foreign policy was Africa-centred. Third, the Babangida era when the concept of citizenship diplomacy was articulated but not implemented because the foreign policy of Nigeria has never been centred on the dignity of the citizens at home or abroad.

The importance of foreign policy direction is that it guides the country and its diplomats. Unfortunately, for over a decade, it is difficult to identify the foreign policy direction of Nigeria, in concrete terms. Our foreign policy is simply what our leaders say it is, even if it is contradictory.

The temptation to ignore the problems of other countries and concentrate on our own is always there especially with the regular attacks on Nigerian business men in South Africa, taking into consideration the much Nigeria has done to support liberation struggle in that country. But the point has to be made that we were not doing some favors to Southern Africa countries, we were pursuing the Africa-centredness of our foreign policy. It has to be emphasized that the policy was not a blind decision, it was based on concrete analysis of what role Nigeria should play and what position the country should occupy in the comity of nations. This however does not absolve the country of its basic responsibility of decisively protecting its citizens wherever they are.

Interestingly, investment in foreign policy is not always about immediate gains. It could be about respect, prestige and support in the long term. There is the case of a Nigerian who went on Technical Aid Corp in Namibia. Some people knocked on his door and when he opened, he saw a man and a woman he suspected was his wife and their daughter. The daughter looked at him and said: “Are you Mr Funtua?” When he said “yes” she looked at him and said in Hausa: “sannu da zuwa, ina kwana, ya gida?”. He was dumbfounded, and when she noticed it, she burst out laughing, having achieved her aim of surprising him. She went further to tell him that she schooled in Federal Government College Bakori (which is very close to Funtua) on the scholarship of Nigerian government. That she saw his name in a newspaper and came to greet him with her parents.

There is urgent need for the Federal Government to come up with a clearly defined foreign policy direction of the country which should address the security of Nigerians abroad, and the rights of our neighbours. The government of Cameroon ignored Nigeria for long until recently when President Buhari visited the country which made President Biya to pay a state visit to Nigeria, the first for over two decades.

We need to be humble to our neighbours. We need to engage them with a view to finding out how we can assist them to soften the hardship we created in their countries by our protectionist policy which we introduced on short notice, without giving them adequate time to adjust to the realities of the time. Niger, Benin, and Togo have been very loyal to Nigeria. We never had problems with them. Their loyalty must be rewarded in the interest of Nigeria especially at a time when the petroleum of Niger Republic is becoming an alternative.

 We must have a defined foreign policy direction even if it is as weak as the policy of the NPN majority members in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, when Balarabe Musa of the PRP was the governor. One of the members was asked what was their policy in relating with the government of Balarabe Musa, who was not a member of their party. He replied: “when Balarabe Musa says yes, we say no (idan Balarabe Musa ya ce “i” mu ce a’a).”