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Right of Reply: Re-Yusuf Tuggar’s Strategic Autonomy and Nigeria’s Non-Alignment Policy, Beyond the Dangerous Neighbourhood
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
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Army troops restore calm after farmers, herders clash in Sokoto
Army troops restore calm after farmers, herders clash in Sokoto
By: Zagazola Makama
The troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA have restored normalcy to Karangiya and Danjawo villages in Silame Local Government Area following a violent clash between farmers and herders on Sunday.
Zagazola reliably informed by sources that the clash erupted at about 9 a.m. over alleged cultivation of farmlands along cattle routes.
According to the sources, the altercation between Hausa farmers from Karangiya and Fulani herders from Danjawo escalated into violence before security operatives intervened.
The troops swiftly moved to the scene to restore order.
Nine people from both sides five farmers and four herders sustained varying degrees of injuries. Five were treated and discharged at the Silame General Hospital, while three others are still receiving treatment.
The Chairman of Silame Local Government Area has convened an emergency stakeholders’ meeting to find a lasting solution to the dispute.
Intensive patrols and surveillance have been intensified in the affected communities, while calm has been restored.
Army troops restore calm after farmers, herders clash in Sokoto
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WANEP Hosts National Briefing on Rising Concerns of Religious Radicalism•Highlights risks of unregulated Madrassas in Nigeria
WANEP Hosts National Briefing on Rising Concerns of Religious Radicalism
•Highlights risks of unregulated Madrassas in Nigeria
By: Michael Mike
The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), under the EU-supported Research and Action for Peace (REcAP) program, hosted a national deliberative briefing to present key findings from two studies exploring the ideological, cultural, and security implications of madrassas in both Northern and Southwestern Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a statement made available on Monday by Mr Emmanuel Ami-Okhani, the representative of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) in Nigeria.
The session was attended by policymakers, researchers, civil society actors, and security stakeholders, focused on understanding how religious education intersects with radical ideologies, external funding, and youth identity in Nigeria.
The REcAP project, implemented by WANEP in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), aims to strengthen the role of civil society and research in shaping effective responses to conflict, violent extremism, and peacebuilding across West Africa and the Lake Chad Basin.
One of the working paper presentations of a major study titled “Madrasas, Charities and Religious Radicalism in Northern Nigeria: A Study of the Almajiri System,” authored by Prof. Freedom Onuoha, Dr Saheed Babajide Owonikoko, and Dr Chukwuma Okoli, explored the theological foundations and operational structures of the Almajiri system, particularly in Abuja, Kano, and Borno states, regions selected for their population size, security relevance, and Islamic education presence.

The research highlighted that the Almajiri system, rooted in the Arabic term al-muhajirun (meaning “to migrate for knowledge”), has historically served as a respected Islamic education platform but has since suffered neglect, a lack of regulation, and infiltration by unverified foreign actors.
According to Owonikoko, who presented the paper, the study found evidence of informal funding from foreign religious charities, mainly from the Middle East. Still, it warned that such support is largely undocumented, making it difficult to monitor for extremist influence.
He disclosed that, based on interviews conducted with school custodians, scholars, former Almajiri students, and security agents, a key concern is the lack of transparency surrounding financial donations and the ideological content introduced by some foreign-linked clerics.
He cited historical and contemporary cases where charities from countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran supported specific sectarian ideologies within Almajiri schools. However, direct links between this support and actual radicalisation remain hard to legally establish due to the clandestine nature of donations.
Owonikoko noted during the presentation that “most Almajiri schools are not documented or supervised, making them vulnerable to ideological manipulation through informal funding channels.”
“While the majority of Almajiri students are peaceful and focused on Quranic education, the lack of structure creates loopholes that can be exploited by extremist elements.”
A second study titled “Madrassas and Islamic Extremism among Teenage Muslim Students in Southwestern Nigeria” was presented by Dr Busari Dauda of the University of Ilorin. Co-authored with Dr Alatise Remi Kasalla from Osogbo, provided an empirical view of how madrassas are shaping youth religious identity in the South-West amidst growing ideological influences from the Middle East.
Unlike the Northern context, madrassas in Ilorin, Ibadan, and Osogbo were found to be more structured, often registered with education ministries and integrated into Yoruba Islamic cultural life, Dr Dauda revealed.
However, the study noted that sectarian interests and prestige-seeking among madrassa founders contribute to the proliferation of ideologically driven schools. Economic motivations and cultural acceptance also play significant roles in their expansion.
Dauda, during his presentation, stressed that, while the study found no widespread evidence of violent radicalisation, it did highlight growing perceptions of global injustice among teenage students, particularly around issues like the Palestinian conflict and Western treatment of Muslims.
He said, these sentiments, amplified by digital media and foreign ideological narratives, shape how young Muslims interpret their religious and social identity.
Dauda emphasised that “extremism is not part of the curriculum, but ideological influences can filter in through sect-based teachings and global narratives of Muslim victimhood.”
WANEP Hosts National Briefing on Rising Concerns of Religious Radicalism
•Highlights risks of unregulated Madrassas in Nigeria
News
Army troops recover 70 rustled livestock after gun duel with bandits in Katsina
Army troops recover 70 rustled livestock after gun duel with bandits in Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
Army troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA in Katsina have recovered 70 goats and several sheep after engaging suspected bandits in a fierce gun battle in Bakori Local Government Area of the state.
Sources indicated that the incident occurred on Oct. 25, 2025, at about 11:50 p.m., when armed men suspected to be bandits loyal to a notorious leader known as “Abaku Aiki” who reportedly distanced himself from the recent peace accord invaded Ganjar and Alhazawa, two remote villages under Bakori LGA.
The bandits reportedly kidnapped an unspecified number of residents and rustled several domestic animals during the attack.
The troops in collaboration with other security agencies intercepted the bandits at Laila Forest. A sustained exchange of gunfire ensued, forcing the criminals to abandon the stolen animals and flee into the forest.
The sources confirmed that 70 goats and some sheep were successfully recovered, while efforts are ongoing to track the fleeing bandits and rescue the abducted victims.
The troops assured residents of continuous patrol and collaboration with security agencies to ensure peace and stability in the area.
Army troops recover 70 rustled livestock after gun duel with bandits in Katsina
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