Nigeria reviews foreign policy, ties aid to economic gains
By Abiodun Fanoro
A MAJOR review of Nigeria's foreign policy thrust has been undertaken by the Federal Government.
The repackaged blueprint, which is quietly being executed by the government, places premium on maximum economic gains from any of the country's foreign adventures.
Although the policy shift is described as fundamental, the government still retains Africa as the centre-piece of its foreign relations. It is only tinkering with its perceived "Father Christmas" posture in its ties with other nations, especially in Africa.
Titled: "Concentric beneficial foreign policy," Nigeria's bilateral and multilateral relations with other nations and organisations must be beneficial to the country and its people.
Even its participation in peace-keeping operations in war-torn countries is being fine-tuned to reflect the crux of the policy.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olu Adeniji, gave an insight into the blueprint in Lagos yesterday.
Adeniji at the passing-out ceremony of student-officers of the Foreign Service Academy, said that Nigeria would not abdicate its responsibilities to sister African nations.
The objective, he later told The Guardian, was to take Nigeria out of the culture of rendering assistance to nations and groups without benefiting from such initiatives.
With the move, the government is expected to follow up any aid or loan to extract either political or economic gains from it.
The policy may have been silently implemented in the N6 billion loan, which the government gave to Ghana and Sao Tome and Principe recently.
In the N4 billion package for Ghana, the country will use it to execute the West African Gas Pipeline project. It will source gas, the major input from Nigeria.
Also, the N2 billion facility to Sao Tome will be channelled into an oil venture in which Nigeria equally has a stake. Nigeria will provide the expertise and the bulk of the operational workers for the Sao Tome oil and gas project.
The minister, who came late to the event, said he was held back in Abuja by meetings on the Dafur crisis in Sudan, held at the Presidential Villa.
The meetings, he said, were preparatory to talks involving all the parties to the crisis, which will hold in Abuja next week.
Drawing from his experience at the meetings to end the Dafur crisis, Adeniyi told the graduands that the possession of conflict resolution skills was a necessity for any diplomat, who wants to succeed in his career.
A former envoy to France, Ambassador Abiodun Aina, who also spoke with The Guardian at the forum, cleared Nigerians of being solely responsible for the advance fee fraud a.k.a 419.
Aina, a director of training at the Foreign Ministry, said during his service in France, several Europeans were caught in the vice.
The director of the academy, Mr. Patrick Kuyoro, also urged the graduands to always put national interest first in any country of their assignment.
He gave indication that African diplomats will soon resume training in the school.
Prior to the new dispensation, criticisms had trailed Nigeria's foreign policy actions, which were described as a drain on the economy.
The country has contributed enormous financial, human and material resources to the liberation struggle in the Southern African region and peacekeeping operations in the West African sub-region.
Even Nigeria's enviable contributions to the United Nations (UN) have hardly been acknowledged or rewarded.
The passing out of the student-officers was the 16th since the Foreign Service Academy was set up in 1983 to train and re-train diplomats for the country's foreign missions.
Mrs. Gabo Ayo-Kalata from Rivers State won the overall Best Student Award.`
