Path to Nigeria’s greatness, by Jonathan, Anyaoku, others

[TGD]

 ECOWAS plans Cote d'Ivoire security summit

VIABLE foreign policy options including the task of building a sound domestic economic base, were listed yesterday by the country's leadership in a bid to recreate the Nigerian enterprise in such a way as to meet current global realities.

At the start of the foreign policy review seminar yesterday in Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan, Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru and the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) on International Relations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, asked the nation's foreign policy experts, seasoned diplomats, professionals and intelligentsia to "chart a new way for the future without discarding the past."

The opening assertion by Ashiru that "the average Nigerian national can only own and buy into this new foreign policy focus when they are assured of an improvement in their living standards" had set the tone for yesterday's serious deliberations.

By a beautiful consensus, the leaders submitted before an audience composed of ministers, former ministers of foreign affairs, members of the diplomatic corps, senior foreign officers from Nigeria's prime outposts as well as the Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, that Nigeria's new foreign policy must now be anchored among others, on domestic, economic development and stability.

Referring to Nigeria's omnibus economic agreements, including multilateral and bilateral trade platforms, the leaders identified today's challenge for Africa's most populous country to be the translation of Nigeria's exertions on the foreign turf since 1960 into a "reality of development" by building inter-continental communications and trade.

Jonathan, who spoke of an assertive but not dogmatic foreign policy, particularly charged the nation's foreign machinery to re-direct the attention of the world away from the sheer population strength of Nigeria, stressing that Nigeria's immense contributions were often missed out at the United Nations (UN) owing to a lack of proper documentation.

The President said in this regard: "In most cases, when we go to canvass for a position at the UN, we do not have the documents to show. We will need to have comprehensive documents so we can give to others what our fathers have done..." and for an appreciation of Nigeria's foreign policy legacy.

Although the president said he did not want to preempt the outcome of the summit, he however noted: "I agree with those who feel that a review is necessary to inject new dynamism into our foreign policy. It is about how we can deploy our foreign policy to the service of our domestic aspirations and priorities."

Maintaining that periodic introspection and self-renewal had become imperative to a viable engagement with the rest of the world in the face of an unfinished business despite past achievement anchored on an African renaissance, the President said, among others "...the review should not just be for the sake of change, at the time of youth restiveness... we have no choice but to review. I believe that economic diplomacy is compatible with democratisation. That is why we want our foreign policy to reflect the aspiration of Nigerians."

The President spoke further on the current global realities stressing that in having an assertive but not dogmatic foreign policy, "giving the increasingly interrelatedness of the world, we will do well to pursue a robust multilateral partnership and engagement but this should not be at the expense of our bilateral relations. We will remain committed to the United Nations just as it is in Nigeria's interest to promote the culture of democracy in Africa. The rise of new economic powers outside the traditional powers in Europe and America calls for this review. As the most populous black country in the world, it is our manifest destiny to champion the emancipation of our continent. We have to attend to this. You (formulators ) are to articulate and vigorously market the country as a conducive environment and viable economy to do business with," he added.

Ruminating through Nigeria's foreign enterprise and the glory years when Nigeria chaired the special committee on apartheid at the UN for two decades, Anyaoku said while the determining fundamentals of Nigeria's foreign policy remain the same, the changed and changing circumstances in Africa and the rest of the world call for "new directions and new strategic priorities in our foreign policy."

He noted that "peace is not simply the absence of war. Severe economic deprivation creates challenges that can be as serious as war... our foreign policy will also need to face the challenge of consolidating good governance at home and on the African continent. This will not be based on any crusading ideology but on empirical politics that democracies do not usually go to war against one another."

According to him, Nigeria's foreign policy should also aim at strengthening the capacity of our continental organisation, the African Union, for responding more effectively to situations such as now exists in Libya where the effectuation of the UN security Council Resolution seems to have been totally left to powers outside the continent."

Interestingly, Ashiru noted yesterday that because the success of the current enterprise would depend on good strategic planning and smart deployment of resources, "Nigeria must not be seen to be diminishing our diplomatic presence or retreating from places where we have shown the flag and made friends over many decades. That in my candid view would be a failing strategy for a country seeking to grow its economy and consolidate its influence and leadership in Africa and in the world at large."

For ideal progress to be made, he said the ministry and its missions abroad must be adequately funded and equipped.

The retreat, which is also pooling together over 50 scholars, bureaucrats and target-specific experts, ends tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Jonathan has said the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold a special meeting to discuss security challenges confronting Cote d'Ivoire.

He spoke while hosting President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d'Ivoire, at the opening of bilateral talks between both countries at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Jonathan, who is current Chairman of the regional body, said ECOWAS recognised the security challenges in the aftermath of the post-election crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, and assured Ouattara of the regional body's support in efforts to stabilise the country.

He urged the Cote d'Ivoire leader to vigorously promote reconciliation among his people, in order to restore peace and confidence in the population.

Speaking on bilateral issues, Jonathan welcomed a proposal from Ouattara that the status of the leadership of the Nigeria-Cote d'Ivoire Joint Commission should be elevated to presidential or vice-presidential level, in order to further strengthen and speed up the implementation of agreements reached.

He said the presence of a large number of Nigerians in Cote d'Ivoire made that country an area of special interest to Nigeria, and added that the two nations should continue to work together to strengthen bilateral relations.

Earlier, Ouattara told Jonathan that he came specifically to "express deep gratitude for your personal interest and effort at resolving the post-election crisis in Cote d'Ivoire", and Nigeria's support.

He also acknowledged the assistance, which ECOWAS gave to his country, adding that he had already taken steps towards total reconciliation by constituting a Truth and Dialogue Committee, with members nominated to represent all interest groups in the country.

Ouattara said his country was committed to stronger bilateral and mutually beneficial relations with Nigeria and under the umbrella of ECOWAS.

The Cote d'Ivoire leader has since left for home.



The Guardian