The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, OON, has urged a recalibration of Nigeria’s foreign policy to meet the realities of an evolving global order.
Ambassador Tuggar made this call while delivering a guest lecture titled “Navigating Realities: Aligning Nigeria’s Foreign Policy Practice with Emerging Global Dynamics” at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos.
Addressing diplomats, scholars, and policymakers, the Minister commended the NIIA for serving as the country’s intellectual compass in international relations for over six decades. He recalled Nigeria’s historic leadership roles in the liberation of Southern African countries, the fight against apartheid in South Africa, and peacekeeping operations in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and The Gambia.
Tuggar noted that the world is entering a new multipolar order defined by climate change, artificial intelligence, terrorism, migration, and economic inequality. He drew lessons from Nigeria’s Cold War–era policies such as non-alignment, the Concert of Medium Powers, and the Concentric Circles strategy, which preserved the nation’s independence amid superpower rivalries.
On the economic front, he cautioned against a return to over-reliance on raw material exports and externally imposed policies. He stressed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is anchored on Strategic Autonomy, framed by the “4Ds of Foreign Policy” – Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora.
The Minister reaffirmed Africa’s centrality in Nigeria’s diplomacy, citing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a major opportunity for economic integration, and highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to cooperative security frameworks like ECOWAS, the African Union, and the MNJTF.
He also mentioned the launch of the Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD), developed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the UNDP, to support West African nations in consolidating democratic institutions and promoting inclusive governance.
Ambassador Tuggar concluded by reiterating Nigeria’s determination to remain a respected, influential, and self-reliant actor in world affairs, building partnerships while upholding principles of justice, equity, and Africa’s advancement.
