In line with the President Bola Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope mantra, the federal government of Nigeria has named democracy, development, demography and diaspora as the anchors of its foreign policy. Amb Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs made the announcement at the launch of The Atrium, a historic venue that houses relevant information about the country, its leaders and its diplomatic engagements over the years, held in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
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| From left: Honourale Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Ibrahim; Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps in Nigeria, Amb. Salaheddin Abbas and Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, during the launch of the President Bola Tinubu’s 4D Foreign Policy Exhibition at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja on Monday (11/12/2023) |
For the minister, the Tinubu’s 4-Ds Foreign Policy Doctrine aims at driving Nigeria’s overall development by ensuring that Nigeria’s strategic national interests are effectively represented across the globe as “Nigeria and indeed, Africa’s development, depends increasingly on a new line of vision which has been well articulated in Mr. President’s new Foreign Policy Concept.”
He emphasized the need to overhaul the nation’s economy to make it more development-focused as the continuous cycle of dependency does not favour the country’s socio-economic growth and development.
“We intend to, among others, leverage the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) to facilitate the exchange of goods and services while fast-tracking trade and investments through economic cooperation, fair trade, global health initiatives, stable and transparent global governance, building capacity for entrenching sustainable socio-economic development.”
On Democracy, the minister reiterated the position of the federal government that it is the only universally accepted form of governance that guarantees freedom, human rights, and the rule of law and lamented the resurgence of recourse to the unconstitutional change of government, as being witnessed in Africa and some other parts of the world.
Tuggar vowed that, despite all the challenges, “democracy must be upheld by the people as the best form of government to champion the will of the people to ensure its viability and functionality to embrace divergent interests, and ensure that democratic institutions are strengthened to serve the collective interests of the people.”
The minister explained to the august crowd, which included Heads of Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations and other members of the diplomatic community, and many relevant stakeholders that Nigeria’s population of over 200 million is a huge asset to the country and a great opportunity that will be harnessed for the development of the country hence demography is allotted a spot on the Tinubu’s 4-Ds Foreign Policy Doctrine.
“We are happy to state that the youth population of this country is soaring high in Fintech, Music, Arts, Sports, and so on. Our foreign policy and diplomatic engagements will be used to showcase the vibrant young talents and skills that our young population possesses for national development.”
The country’s top diplomat also acknowledged the pivotal role the Nigerians in Diaspora are playing in the development of the nation, especially in the areas of remittances and their demonstration of different capacities talents and skills which have, in turn, made them great ambassadors of the country.
“Mr President acknowledges this and believes firmly that a well-structured diaspora community will continue to be a catalyst for Nigeria’s imaging and a veritable source for direct investment, given their unmatched expertise in different fields of endeavour.”
One major highlight of the day was The Atrium exhibition as the Honourable Minister took the guests on a visual and sensory journey through Nigeria’s history while inspiring hope in Nigeria’s future as articulated in the 4-D Doctrine.
Apart from the members of the diplomatic community, other dignitaries who attended the event included Jamila Ibrahim, Honourable Minister of Youth Development; Amb Salaheddin Abbas, the Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps in Nigeria; Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission; and Nduwhite Ahaononu, the curator of Nigeria Foreign Policy 4D Exhibition.
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