Three years of President Jonathan’s foreign outlook

President Jonathan has said in numerous forums that the major focus of Nigeria’s foreign policy is the attraction of greater foreign direct investment to the country. According to him, his administration is committed to the advancement of a knowledge-driven economy, which he explains is the anti-dote to incessant crises and violence that has been the […]

President Jonathan has said in numerous forums that the major focus of Nigeria’s foreign policy is the attraction of greater foreign direct investment to the country. According to him, his administration is committed to the advancement of a knowledge-driven economy, which he explains is the anti-dote to incessant crises and violence that has been the bane of Nigeria. Nigerian Diplomatic Missions abroad have been directed to focus more on attracting investment to support the domestic programmes of government.
In a bid to encourage and promote the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment into the country, Nigeria has signed bilateral agreements and MoUs with several countries in the areas of trade, technological cooperation, ICT, education, culture/tourism among others.
The increased exchange of high level visits between Nigeria and other countries of the world have certainly enhanced Nigeria’s bilateral cooperation with these countries. China, U.S., Britain, Germany, South Africa and some other countries have formed strategic partnerships with Nigeria in investments in power, construction, telecommunication and manufacturing.
Infact, relations between Nigeria and China have been very cordial and active; highlights of which include a Joint Commission and several protocols of co-operation.
For example, the Abuja-Kaduna wide gauge rail is being undertaken by a Chinese company so also are some of the power projects across the country. This more of an economic diplomacy and these investments had effect on the Transformation Agenda of President Jonathan. The recent World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa hosted by Nigeria is a huge image boaster for the administration.
At the continental level, Nigeria’s interventions in the crises in Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Libya among others, had fostered its relations with such countries and repositioned the country in the international community.
In Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria’s voice to uphold democracy, evidenced in the support given to the winner of the Presidential election, Dr. Alassane Quattara prevented a bloodbath in that country. Nigeria’s position was a step taken in line with President Jonathan’s policy to defend democracy in Africa. Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire are now working together to resolve the challenges in the continent.
Furthermore, Nigeria has committed over 1200 troops to the UN-mandated African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) consistent with its foreign policy objectives.
In 2013, Nigeria returned to the United Nations Security Council, just two years after she last served as a member. She is one of Africa’s two new members, the other being Chad. The third African member is Rwanda, which will complete her term at the end of this year.
With Israel, Nigeria broker a bi-lateral agreement last year on aviation signing a direct flight schedule between Nigeria and the mid-east country.
Although even after Nigeria’s return to the UN Security Council, there have been continuing reports of delays in paying its UN dues. There have also been reports of Nigeria being slow on delivering on promises of financial support to the Africa Union (AU) mission in Somalia.
Even with all these advances, Nigeria’s foreign policy has suffered decline and the country’s international voice has become subdued. For instance, its corruption indices have been plundered badly with the country’s official trying unsuccessfully trying to defend the formula used.
Also, when U.S. President Barack Obama did not visit Nigeria during his Africa tour, many international watch analysts see it as a dent on the country’s image that prides itself the “giant of Africa”. Instead, Obama visited West Africa neighbours, Ghana now seen as a new beacon of hope in the continent.
In 2012, South Africa deported 125 Nigerians who landed at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport right from the airport. According to South African health authorities, those passengers carried fraudulent yellow fever cards.
In return, Nigeria departed 80 South Africans from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos under the same pretext of possessing invalid travel documents as well as vaccination cards.
Presently, there are about 9,000 Nigerians currently serving prison terms abroad. The government has negotiated Prisoners’ Transfer Agreement (PTA) with countries such as UK, Thailand, Japan, China, Indonesia, Switzerland, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola and Hong Kong; so that they can bring home these Nigerians to complete their prison terms.
Also, Nigeria was not able to take a proactive measure to rescue her citizens caught-up in the crisis in the Central Africa Republic (CAR) leaving behind shoddy evacuation procedure.
Now, the country’s image as also been called to question with the invitation of some countries to help locate and rescue the over 200 Chibok school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants. Furthermore, the invitation to France to discuss “tactic” with Nigeria’s neighbours on how to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency called to ridicule the leadership role of the country. Nonetheless, Nigeria’s foreign policy in the last three years has been in bits and pieces with a clear way forward.