Tuggar Tasks Foreign Service graduates to and debunk negative religious narratives

By: Michael Mike

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar has charged newly graduating Foreign Service officers on the need to project the country’s image while at the same time debunking the ongoing negative narratives about the state religious persecution.

Tuggar gave the charge on Tuesday at the closing ceremony of the 26th Regular Course of the Foreign Service Academy in Abuja.

He said: “For our Foreign Service, this imposes a clear mandate: to project the narrative of a reformed, confident, and forward-looking Nigeria. Our missions must serve as economic outposts, actively promoting investment, trade, and technological cooperation in every host country.

“You must also debunk false narratives at every opportunity, such as the ongoing campaign against the Nigerian state alleging religious persecution.”

He also reminded them of sections 10, 38 and 42 of the country’s Constitution that make it impossible “to have a state religion, guarantee freedom of religion, and prohibit religious and ethnic discrimination.”

He added: “Explain that our judicial system has secular courts of appeal and constitutional override to set aside rulings and judgements of first instance courts if they infringe on any citizen’s rights. Tell them that our state governments do not have blasphemy laws. “What they have are breach of peace or incitement offences to prevent communal violence, necessary in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation of 230 million souls.”

The Minister also informed the graduates their expected role in the ongoing reforms under President Bola Tinubu, stating that: “Complementing these domestic reforms, our foreign policy is now a pediment of strategic autonomy sitting atop the 4 Diplomatic pillars of Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora—which serve as the compass for Nigeria’s global engagement. This doctrine reinforces our commitment to good governance and the rule of law, shared prosperity through innovation, the immense potential of our youthful population, and a vibrant diaspora that projects Nigeria’s excellence across the world. Together, these four pillars form a people-centred and forward-looking framework that defines Nigeria’s renewed voice and influence on the world stage.

“We must avoid over-alignment because it creates threats in our region. Strategic Autonomy is sophisticated statecraft, not wanton opportunism. We must reject binary ideological alignments and focus on issues-based relationships as defined by our foreign policy objectives and national aspirations.”

The Minister also disclosed that the process of reviewing the curriculum of the Foreign Service Academy has commenced, adding the review, Tuggar is to reflect the current global realities.

He noted that we are in an era where diplomacy itself is being redefined.

The Minister stressed that the world has become more interconnected, and international relations more complex, driven by technology, data, and artificial intelligence.

He noted that the Foreign Service is a profession that demands patriotism, integrity and most importantly, competence, stressing that: “In this regard, and following my recent visit to the permanent site of the Foreign Service Academy in Badagry, I am pleased to announce that the process of reviewing the curriculum to reflect these global realities has commenced.”

He explained: “We live in an era where diplomacy itself is being redefined. The world has become more interconnected, and international relations more complex, driven by technology, data, and artificial intelligence.

“The Foreign Service is a calling to represent Nigeria’s dignity and aspirations. Every word you speak, every negotiation you enter, and every decision you are part of, will project the image of this great country.”

He also added that the Ministry has created the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Desk in recognition of the evolving world.

According to him: “It is in recognition of this evolving reality that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently created a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Desk and hosted a seminar on Artificial Intelligence in Modern Diplomacy. These initiatives are part of our broader commitment to ensuring that Nigerian diplomacy remains forward-looking, adaptive, and competitive.”

He also reminded the graduates that “the Foreign Service entails a lifetime of learning. You must keep reading and improving yourselves. Each assignment will teach you something new about nations, about humanity, and about yourself. I urge you to embrace this journey with humility, curiosity and discipline.

“Your diplomatic life will know no limits if you look beyond postings and protocol assignments and aim to be innovative, resilient and purpose-driven.”

The Minister also disclosed that the Ministry has commenced a review process of its Station Charters “to set new, contemporary performance targets that reflect modern diplomatic demands. “Our goal is to derive greater value from Nigeria’s presence in over 109 countries, not just through political engagement, but also through human capital development, business process outsourcing, local minerals processing, and trade facilitation.”

He noted that the country’s diplomats “must understand their role within the framework of the Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD), an initiative championed by President Tinubu to strengthen democratic institutions, promote stability, and address the root causes of insecurity across West Africa. As representatives of Nigeria, you will serve on the front lines of this task, helping build coalitions to protect democracy and development in our region. Bear in mind that RPD recognises the variable geometry of Democracy- it’s different forms and speeds of application, especially in our region and our continent.”

The minister also used the opportunity to reaffirm the government’s commitment to ensuring that the Foreign Service Academy returns to its permanent site in Badagry, Lagos. Discussions are ongoing to secure partnerships and funding through both public–private collaboration and development partners to make this a reality.”

He equally urged the National Assembly to accelerate the passage of the Foreign Service Commission Bill, which will provide the legal framework necessary to strengthen the Academy’s autonomy, attract partnerships, and expand its capacity to train not only Nigerians but diplomats across brotherly countries in Africa.

Tuggar Tasks Foreign Service graduates to and debunk negative religious narratives

EU Declares Nigeria Matters to Us

… Reiterates Commitment to Strengthen Long Standing Partnership

By: Michael Mike

The Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David MacAllister on Monday declared the importance of Nigeria to the bloc, stating that Nigeria “matters” to us.

He also reiterated the bloc’s commitment to strengthening its long-standing partnership with Africa’s largest democracy, Nigeria.

MacAllister, who led a six-member European Parliament delegation on an official visit to Nigeria on Monday, after a meeting with the Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar disclosed that their mission to Nigeria was designed to deepen mutual understanding, explore new areas of collaboration, and reinforce political and economic ties between both sides.

He said: “We are a delegation of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, We are six members in total from five different countries, from three different political groups in the European Parliament. And this shows a cross-party interest in further deepening and strengthening the relations between the European Union and Nigeria.”

MacAllister while describing Nigeria as a strategic partner whose influence on the continent and beyond makes it an indispensable ally in shaping Africa–EU relations, said: “Nigeria is considered as a strategic partner for the European Union. “We have a long-lasting, good and close relationship based on shared values and also on joint interests.”

He noted that the visit was part of the Parliament’s tradition of engaging directly with partner nations to better understand their challenges and opportunities.

He said: “The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee travels with smaller delegations a few times a year to other parts of the world,” adding that: “We mainly travel to get to know better the countries, to understand better the challenges these countries are facing, and also the opportunities these countries have. And we are also there to very carefully listen.”

MacAllister while expressing appreciation to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs for hosting the delegation, noted that their discussion was insightful and covered a broad range of regional and global issues.

He said: “It was a great honour for us to be received by the Honourable Minister. His Excellency took more than one and a half hours of his precious time to really go into detail with many, many questions we had as regards the further development of the African Union, the further development of ECOWAS, and the developments in all neighbouring countries of Nigeria.”

He said the dialogue also reflected a shared interest in understanding the trajectories of both regions, stating that: “The Minister was also very interested in finding out how the further developments of the European Union will look like.”

He said: “Because just like Nigeria, just like ECOWAS, we in the European Union, of course, are also facing enormous challenges.”

He reaffirmed that Nigeria remains a vital partner in Europe’s engagement with Africa, stating that: “To sum up in one sentence — Nigeria matters. Nigeria matters for us in the European Union, and we in the European

Parliament are very keen to deepen the strategic partnership with Nigeria. And this will be our message when we go back home to Brussels.”

Responding, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, welcomed the lawmakers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, describing the European Union as a critical partner in trade, security, and development.

He said: “Any visit from the European Union has to be considered very important because Europe still remains our largest trading partner,” adding that: “Figures may vary, but it is not less than 31.8 billion euros.”

He described Europe and Africa as “natural neighbours,” emphasizing that geography should unite rather than separate the two continents.

He said: “For those who understand a bit of Latin, ‘Mediterranean’ means ‘water in the middle of land. So where Europe is concerned in its relations to Africa, what we have is water in the middle of land—we are closer than we imagine.”

He noted that Nigeria’s partnership with the EU extends beyond trade, touching on regional stability, food security, and job creation.

Tuggar said: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emphasizes food security as his number one priority because we are a nation of 230 million people, expected to become 400 million by 2050. We are in a race against time to create jobs, feed our people, and ensure our population is healthy.”

He added that Nigeria’s recent inclusion as the 77th shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development reflects its commitment to global economic cooperation.

He saud: “We have a lot of lessons to learn from the European Union, which itself is still integrating. It gives us hope and serves as a model that we seek to emulate. We will continue to strengthen our collaboration with the EU in all areas.”

Other members of the European Parliament delegation included Christophe Thomas (France), Jaliana Lefebvre (Croatia), Marta Emigo (Portugal), and Tim Kenan (Finland).

EU Declares Nigeria Matters to Us

PRESIDENT TINUBU CHANGES SERVICE CHIEFS

By: Our Reporter

President Bola Tinubu has made changes in the hierarchy of the Service Chiefs in furtherance of the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria to strengthen the national security architecture.

The President appointed General Olufemi Oluyede to replace General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff. The new Chief of Army Staff is Major-General W. Shaibu. Air Vice Marshall S.K Aneke is Chief of Air Staff while Rear Admiral I. Abbas is the new Chief of Naval Staff.

Chief of Defence Intelligence Major-General E.A.P Undiendeye retains his position.

The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, expresses most profound appreciation to the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa and the other Service Chiefs for their patriotic service, and dedicated leadership.

The President charges the newly appointed Service Chiefs to justify the confidence reposed in them to further enhance the professionalism, vigilance and comradeship that define the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

All appointments take immediate effect.

PRESIDENT TINUBU CHANGES SERVICE CHIEFS