FG redefines Nigeria’s foreign policy

Clement Idoko, Abuja - 12.02.2008

THE Federal Govern- ment has announced a shift in the foreign policy framework of the country now to reflect the basic interest and development of the country.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, in statement signed by his Special Assistant on Communication, Mrs. Dupe Ajayi, and made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, expressed regret that Nigeria had invested much more than it had reaped on the international arena in the past.

According to the statement, Kingibe was speaking during an induction programme for new envoys, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Obudu Cattle Ranch and Resort, while charging the newly-appointed Nigeria heads of mission to inform the world about the determination of the Federation Government to transform Nigeria‘s economy into one of the leading 20 economies in the world by 2020. “Unless we are actually one of the largest economies in 2020, we may be unable to effectively and meaningfully survive as a nation in a world that has no room for weakness or poverty.

“The country’s foreign policy must be informed by our own basic interests that must not only be flexible, but also predictable and periodically reviewed,” while urging the envoys not to be shy of projecting the country’s power to play a much more decisive role at the global level.

He urged the heads of mission to be aggressive in the pursuit of such interests and be in touch with developments at home, stressing that the missions must be managed efficiently to earn positive image for the country.