Nigerian govt restates commitment to realising foreign policy

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, says the Federal Government is committed to realising Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives.

Tuggar disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while delivering a lecture at the 2023 annual ceremony organised by the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria.

The lecture, “The Nigerian Foreign Policy Agenda Under the Tinubu Administration,” was chaired by Prof. Anthony Asiwaju, a foremost scholar on border studies.

According to the foreign minister, there are diverse thoughts by people, such as that Nigeria does not have a foreign policy or the need for the country to develop foreign policy objectives.

Tuggar said: “As such, my starting point is to define foreign policy, which in a nutshell is the strategy or approach chosen by the national government to achieve its goals in its relations with external entities.

“At least, that is how International Relations theorist, Steve Smith and his fellow travellers defined it: With regards to policy itself.”

He noted Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives, saying they existed and remained immovable because they are enshrined in the Constitution.

He added that the objectives are to promote and protect Nigeria’s national interest.