By Linus Aleke
The former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, had warned Federal Government of Nigeria, to be conscious of the coup d’etat in its northern neighbor, the Republic of Niger, saying that the elements involved in destabilization of Niger are not far from Nigeria.
The former Nigerian Minister of External Affairs, said this while chairing the 5th Annual Lecture/Conference of the Association of Foreign Relations Prefessionals of Nigeria (AFRPN), which held in Abuja.
He said, “Well what had happened in Niger, should be of major concern to us hear in Nigeria, on a number of grounds. The first is that we thought that we have seen the end of military coup d’etat, and end of unconstitutional change of government in West Africa”.
The Nigerian born diplomat said, what had happened is a surprise which, must condemned.
According to him, “We should also work towards puting Niger Republic back to constitutional form of government. Niger is one of our neighbours, so what happens there is bound to affect the security and stability in our own country. The elements involved in the destabilization of Niger are not far from Nigeria. So, we should be very conscience”.
Anyaoku, also applauded
the former President of South Africa, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, who was the guest lecturer, for accepting to have the second best rendition of this event by been prepared to give it virtually, not withstanding the serious family crisis that in the last minute prevented him from giving the lecture physically.
“We must also thank the inventors of the technology that has made this possible, which those of us who are BBC, continue to admire, and when I say BBC, I do not mean the British Broadcasting Corporation, rather I mean those of us born before computers. Thabo Mbeki is a true freedom fighter”.
Earlier in his address of welcome, the President of Association of Foreign Relations Professionals of Nigeria (AFRPN), Gani Lawal, said, following the democratic trajectory and rapid advancement of globalization, Nigerian government cannot afford to neglect the training of the “relations of production” at our national frontiers.
According to him, “Our aassociation will extend hands of fellowship to other departments that handle governmental activities across the frontiers of the nation particularly some that are domiciled in our missions abroad to partake in our practical diplomatic nuances and protocol training programs which are essential in dealing with members of the public both at home and abroad for synergy, cooperation, e-spirit de corps and outstanding deliverables.
“We know for a fact that there already exist, sufficient documentation in foreign policy crafting and practice, the recent expert codification of our foreign policy thrusts is a testimony to this fact. What is missing now is the strategy of implementation in a rapidly changing global environment. We in the AFRPN recognize that the process of implementing foreign policy requires people, technology and clear understanding of context and environment, we therefore submit that training in all ramifications, is an essential ingredient in the implementation of our foreign policy, economic development and governance”.
In his lecture, the former freedom fighter and South African President Mr. Thabo Mbeki, decried the growing coup d’etat in the continent.
