By Bashir Aliyu
In the just concluded G-20 Summit in New Delhi, India, Nigeria has re-emerged as an emboldened player for the first time as the country’s 4-D foreign policy priorities mark a new strategic shift in Nigeria’s foreign policy for decades. Since independence, Nigeria’s foreign policy focused exclusively on Africa, positioning itself as a regional power. But the unprecedented geopolitical tug-of-war between global superpowers as well as demographic shift has presented Nigeria with a unique opportunity to prove its mettle in the grand scheme of things.
Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu swore in Honourable Yusuf Maitama Tuggar as Nigeria’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs, the 4-D formula that the veteran diplomat has been championing heralds a new chapter in Nigerian foreign policy, and it is a tactical foreign policy shift that signals the fact that Nigeria is ready to play bigger roles on the international stage.
The 4-D formula, popularly known as the Tinubu Doctrine, focuses on key foreign policy priorities: democracy, development, demography, and diaspora. The Tinubu Doctrine does not mean Nigeria has shifted its focus away from Africa. As the largest democracy in Africa, Nigeria has a moral obligation to defend democracy in Africa and promote trade, and regional stability. However, the series of coups that rocked West African countries underscored the reality that Nigeria has to take a tougher stance on the enemies of democracy, and Nigeria has a lot of leverage to ensure democracy thrives in Africa without resorting to physical hostilities.
With over 200 million population, partnering with emerging economies, promoting bilateral ties, and courting investors to Nigeria are vital to Nigeria’s economic growth. As our country becomes increasingly integrated into the global economy, demography has become a key foreign policy priority for Nigeria. As mentioned during the Nigeria-India Presidential Roundtable in New Delhi, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said, given the commonalities that both Nigeria and India share in terms of being the largest democracies on the respective continents and demography, Nigeria would collaborate with India to improve electoral processes and deepen bilateral trades in areas such as science, agriculture, education, fintech, and cinematography, given the growing popularity of Indian movies in Nigeria. With Nigeria’s focus on demography, our country can now engage several countries such as China, India, and Brazil capable of positively impacting Nigerians. It is a win-win policy that serves Nigeria.
According to the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, there are over 15 million Nigerians abroad. This makes Nigeria one of the largest diaspora populations in the world. As a former ambassador to Germany, Tuggar has enough experience to rejig Nigeria’s policy in regard to its citizens abroad. Nigerians abroad are now a priority for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Measures are underway to ensure Nigerians are able to enjoy uninterrupted consular support, travel advisory on Nigerians traveling to dangerous countries, and a series of initiatives to make sure Nigerians stay emotionally and patriotically attached to the motherland.
As Nigerian new foreign policy gathers pace, Nigerians now have a reason to stay optimistic about their country.
