Right of Reply: Re-Yusuf Tuggar’s Strategic Autonomy and Nigeria’s Non-Alignment Policy, Beyond the Dangerous Neighbourhood

Oladimeji Badmus

It’s good to see the Minister’s article on Nigeria’s foreign policy and its implementation has sparked a round of intellectual debate. Bola A. Akinterinwa article titled Re-Yusuf Tuggar’s Strategic Autonomy and Nigeria’s Non-Alignment Policy beyond the dangerous neighborhood published in the ThisDay Newspaper of 12th January 3025, is a healthy and enriching contribution.

That said, it’s important to stick to facts and attribute statements to those participating in this much needed discourse the way they said it and fairly. The Minister mentioned Strategic Autonomy as the fulcrum of the Tinubu Administration’s agenda, not as a sixth foreign policy objective for Nigeria. Nowhere in his article did he try to amend the Constitution and ascribe it an additional foreign policy objective. What Akinterinwa has done here is to use casuistry to turn epistemology (Strategic Autonomy, Democracy Demography and Diaspora, etc) into Ontology (the five foreign policy objectives of Nigeria stated in the Constitution).

These are two different things. Akinterinwa should have instead listed Strategic Autonomy along with Bolaji Akinyemi’s Consultation Doctrine, Gambari’s Concentricism and Olu Adeniji’s Constructive and Beneficial Concentricism.
Strategic Autonomy is the 21st Century version of Balewa’s non-alignment. If non-alignment was never mistaken to be a foreign policy objective, how can Strategic Autonomy be deemed to be one?

The executive arm of government is responsible for implementing agenda to achieve the foreign policy objectives, not to question the said objectives government officials, both political appointees and civil servants are sworn to protecting and abiding by the requirements of the Constitution. They do not have the luxury to pick and choose what parts of the Constitution are right or wrong as Akinterinwa’s article seems to regress into. He even appears to romanticize the irredentist notions of IPOB and Oodua groups and justifies it as the right to self-determination. One may then ask, how well are South Sudan and Somali Land fairing (two recent examples of irredentist movements that achieved statehood)?

There is a process for amending Nigeria’s constitution, which requires support of the two chambers of the National Assembly and two thirds of the state houses of assembly. We Nigerians expect the foreign minister to focus on actualizing our foreign policy objectives and abiding by the constitution and not pursue amendment to please irredentist movements or neighbouring countries. The Constitution may have got it wrong by mentioning the protection of national interest and respect for international law as objectives instead of an act, but so it remain until it is amended. We should not expect an administration or its foreign Minister with a four year term to focus on such pedantic hair-splitting. Their focus should be on what they swore to uphold.

Akinterinwa argues that distancing ourselves from France because some of our neighbors do not get along with her would help African integration. This is a simplistic view of complex global politics. We must not take a manichaean view of our relationships with other countries. It is not a Cowboy movie where all the good guys wear white hats and the bad guys black ones. As an intellectual, I would have expected Akinterinwa to unpack the contents of Nigeria’s relationship with France. It is presently I-Dice through which thousands of young Nigerians are to be trained in digital technology.

It is Investments in renewable energy to provide electricity. It is also in getting the support of France to become a member of the G20 and a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, where Nigeria’s big voice will help actualise the very same African integration and also assist more deliberate developmental support for the likes of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

And in terms of working with our neighbors towards a more secure neighborhood, I believe the Minister mentioned in his article that working with sahelian countries alone will not fix the security challenges without fixing Libya. You cannot fix Libya without working with the very same major powers including France that created the problem in the first place. Engaging with France based on the above is not tantamount with being bellicose towards our neighbors. And what happens tomorrow if there is another coup in Niger and the new government says they have kissed and made up with France? Would Akinterinwa then expect the Nigerian government to immediately pivot and start being friendly with France because Niger’s leadership says it’s ok? This would be the tail wagging the dog, Niger leading Nigeria.

Oladimeji Badmus is the Convener of Mwalimu Peers a Pan African International Affairs Think-Tank

Right of Reply: Re-Yusuf Tuggar’s Strategic Autonomy and Nigeria’s Non-Alignment Policy, Beyond the Dangerous Neighbourhood

Karai-Karai celebrates cultural heritage

By: Yahays Wakili

The Executive Governor of Bauchi State, Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed CON Kauran Daular Usmaniya, has said that as a state, we are committed to promoting cultural tourism and preserving our cultural heritage for future generations, and culture also has the potential to unite us and drive socio-development.

The governor stated this today at the occasion of the Karai-Karai Annual International Festival, known as Bala Bara Majalam, in Jalam town of the Dambam local government area of Bauchi state.

Ably represented by the Commissioner of the Bauchi State Ministry of Commerce, Tourism, and Culture, Alhaji Abdul Hassan said the Bauchi State Governor is passionate about the promotion of cultural festivals, which are a very important tool for the development of tourism and wealth creation.

“In Bauchi state, we are dedicated to creating an enabling environment for cultural expression and exchange. We have established various initiatives aimed at promoting cultural festivals, heritage sites, and traditional arts and crafts, he said.

Sen. Bala emphasizes the significance of cultural diplomacy in promoting national development. By sharing our cultural heritage within and outside the world, we can foster greater understanding and cooperation among natives.

Also speaking at the occasion, Yobe State Deputy Governor, Hon. Idi Barde Gubana Wazirin Fune, said the event, which was held on 14th January 2025, was a vibrant and culturally rich event that brought together Karai-Karai worldwide to celebrate their beautiful cultural heritage.

Gubana advised the participants to continue sensitizing people across their communities on the need for promoting peace and understanding among themselves and the state in general.

He revealed that Karai-Karai people are known for hard work, loyalty, and tolerance; he commended them for their patience and support of Mai Mala Buni’s administration.

The deputy governor further commended the leadership of Karai-Karai from Yobe and Bauchi states, adding that the festival will go a long way in promoting mutual coexistence, togetherness, unity, and peace among individuals.

The special guest speaker at the occasion, Alhaji Mahmood Yayale Ahmed, who was the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Ajiyan Katagum, revealed that the event has, over time, become an event where the Karai-Karai people evaluate the progress of their people at home and in the diaspora as well as fashion out ways of doing more to impact the upcoming generations.

He said the Karai-Karai cultural festival is a veritable tool for unity and economic development, which must be sustained and promoted beyond the shores of the country, and calls on the other tribes to emulate the Karai-Karai cultural festival. The annual festival featured the spiritual appearance of Makuyi and an annual message from him, as well as the display of traditional cultural dances.

Thereafter the Deputy Governor, Hon. Idi Barde Gubana Wazirin Fune, presents a gift for Alhaji Aji Yarima Bularafa to the Karai-Karai people, being he is a servant of Karai-Karai.

Karai-Karai celebrates cultural heritage

Environmental Experts Sound Alarm on Fossil Fuel Dependency and Climate Change

By: Michael Mike

The discussion around energy, its costs, and stranded communities has alarming statistics, including decades of oil pollution contaminating the soil, water, and air of the Niger Delta. Climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities due to patterns of production of dirty energy and consumption patterns as well.

A one-day webinar was organised by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) USA hub to examine pressing issues as they affect communities, especially in the Niger Delta. The webinar also proposed that comprehensive environmental audits, health assessments for affected communities, transition to renewable energy, and increased community-led initiatives be put in place in order to address the crisis.

Environmental experts Nicholas Johnson and Nnimmo Bassey discussed the devastating consequences of fossil fuel dependency and climate change on stranded communities. This critical conversation highlighted vital issues, including the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities, fossil fuel addiction, and the role of neoliberalism in perpetuating the polycrisis.

Nicholas Johnson stressed that consumption patterns contribute to environmental degradation while stating that solidarity with communities is essential for ecological justice. He further highlighted critical issues, including the intersection of climate change and human rights, the environmental and social impact on communities, pollution cleanup, environmental study, challenges posed by multinational corporations, grassroots activism, and corporate accountability.

The Executive Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, emphasised that environmental degradation undermines human rights, particularly the right to life. He highlighted methods to combat climate change, which include learning from communities affected by oil extraction and promoting participatory ecological impact assessments in decision-making. He also stated that payment of climate debt was the right way to handle climate finance as it would address the origins of climate injustice.
HOMEF USA notes that the international community must prioritize solidarity with affected communities and support their environmental justice and human rights demands.

This critical conversation underscored the urgent need for environmental justice, human rights, and solidarity with stranded communities.

Environmental Experts Sound Alarm on Fossil Fuel Dependency and Climate Change