Nigeria won’t be forced to follow world powers – Tuggar
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has said that Nigeria will not be pressured into aligning with global powers or taking sides in international rivalries. He stressed that the country would continue to pursue an independent foreign policy. In a statement signed by the Ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, on Sunday, Tuggar made this […]
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has said that Nigeria will not be pressured into aligning with global powers or taking sides in international rivalries.
He stressed that the country would continue to pursue an independent foreign policy.
In a statement signed by the Ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, on Sunday, Tuggar made this position clear while delivering a guest lecture at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, on Friday.
He explained that Nigeria’s foreign policy in the 21st century is anchored on strategic autonomy, guided by four pillars: democracy, demography, development, and diaspora.
The Minister warned against repeating the mistakes of the past, recalling how economic “bandwagoning” led to the adoption of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).
“Our idea is to avoid the booby trap of entangling alliances or ideological over-alignment, but rather to focus on issue-based relationships and partnerships of purpose,” Tuggar said.
He added that Nigeria’s population, internal market, and size provide it with unique advantages in navigating a changing global order.
“Widening inequality and changes in the distribution of power are bringing about modifications to the global superstructure and a multipolar order. Such liminal moments are precarious and unpredictable.
“The pressures of major powers in this emerging multipolar world for Nigeria and others to follow the path of bandwagoning and align with them are enormous.
“There was a time in the-not-so distant past when Nigeria faced similar pressures under a bipolar system and was able to navigate its way through, with much help from the intellectual firepower of the NIIA.
“Recognition of the MPLA, the World Conference for Action Against Apartheid and the Ogaden War come to mind. The era of non-alignment gave Nigeria the latitude to pursue its Concert of Medium Powers and Concentric Circles strategies at a time when many fell victim to entanglements and ended up being battlegrounds of superpower contestations,” he said.
Tuggar also emphasised Africa’s importance in Nigeria’s foreign policy, noting that integration and collective security remain top priorities.