2023: Foreign Policy In Focus As AFRPN Moves To Engage 4 Major Parties

Ahead of the February 25 2023 presidential election, the Association of Foreign Relations Professionals of Nigeria (AFRPN) has moved to engage the leadership of the four leading political parties in recognition of the pivotal role party politics plays in the formation, articulation and implementation of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy.

The Association expressed its readiness to bring to the fore the urgent need to revamp the Nigerian economy and create jobs for the teeming youth who in recent times have embarked on massive exodus out of the country for greener pastures due to the poor economy in the last couple years.

President of AFRPN, Ambassador Gani Lawal made this known in a press interaction on Friday in Abuja, stressing that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and other major stakeholders have been invited to “Meet The Diplomatic Community” an event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, January 10 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.

The aim of the event is also to set an agenda for the leading parties in the country on how to resuscitate the waning global image of Nigeria and to deepen the knowledge and understanding of the input-output system that has informed the Nigerian foreign policy options in the international arena.

According to Ambassador Lawal, invited guests expected to grace the occasion include, but not limited to the leadership of the political parties, practitioners of international relations, staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Diplomatic and Consular Missions. Also to grace the occasion are patrons of the association such as Ambassador (Dr) Dalhatu Tafida, former High Commissioner of Nigeria to the United Kingdom and former and present Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

Similarly, it is expected that Heads of Institutions and agencies seized with the functions tailored toward the enhancement of Nigerian diplomatic profile and international standing in the comity of nation such as, comptrollers-General of the Nigerian Customs Service and the Nigerian Immigration Service as well as the Commandant of the Defence College are expected to avail themselves of this important interaction.

The AFRPN is Nigeria’s foremost diplomatic forum consisting of major stakeholders on foreign relations issues. Its membership spans across several institutions that deal with matters that transcend the frontiers of the country.

“The objective of the Association, among others, are to impact on the foreign policy of Nigeria in a positive direction seeking to add enduring alternatives from the perspectives of reasoned options emanating from the concerted synergy and brainstorming exercises from its variegated and experienced members and practitioners,” Ambassador Lawal said in his remarks.

In the same vein, one of the members of the Association, and a former Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, Martins Cobham, told reporters that the political parties must made to understand their vital role in shaping the economic and political fortunes of the country and now is the time to interrogate these issues and find lasting solutions to the crisis in the new political dispensation.

He said “ This is the reason why we have to even have this parley and bring to fore to the incoming political leadership the need, in my opinion, to have a review of our foreign policy, especially as it affects our organized private sector.

“ What we would expect is that as we proceed into the next dispensation, our foreign policy should drag along, the economic sector so much for it to benefit economically, and by so doing create employment within, and of course address the issue of youth restiveness, and escalating crime rate in our country.  We want to see in this parley, a slight deviation, chatted towards making our foreign policy much more beneficial to the citizens.”

The former envoy expressed sadness that Nigerians troop into South Africa because of high unemployment in the country, even as he lamented that Nigeria’s foreign policy options may not have brought economic benefits to the country in real terms.

“But it is so because we have not looked inward as a country, we have to create an enabling environment, we have to fight our image. We have an image problem, the separatist movement, militancy, banditry, farmer/herdsmen clashes and what have we. I was in Venezuela and I had to address this issue in the media. It is something that the next leadership must address frontally, so as to bring it to a minimal level,” he said.

It has become incumbent for the Nigerian economy to be revived and the political parties billed for the election know that they have a huge task to bring back the country to its past glory through economic policies and reforms that will change the fortunes of the country. However, whether this parley will change the way the politicians will behave remains within the bowels of time.