By Linus Aleke
The need to retool the nation’s foreign policy options for maximal benefit to the country and its inhabitants, otherwise known as citizens cannot be overstated.

This is also, pertinent, bearing in mind the harrowing experience of Nigerian travellers, even in nations, less endowed than Nigeria.

Nigerian green password has since lost its attractive aura and prestige at the immigration checkpoints at border posts and airports around the world, thereby, entrenching the singling out of Nigerian travellers, for rigorous security scrutiny, harassment, humiliation, and dehumanization of all sorts.

For instance; the demolition of residential apartments, inside the premises of the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, by Ghanaian authorities, in rude violation of international legal instruments guiding diplomatic relations is a case in point.

Others include an attempted strangulation of a Nigerian diplomatic staff, in Indonesia, the dehumanisation of Nigerians in a Chinese province during the COVID-19 lockdown, brutalizing of Nigerian travellers at an international airport in Togo, the killing of an innocent Nigerian lady in detention, in Côte d’Ivoire, the list is endless.

Also, the Presidential Candidate of major political parties in the forthcoming elections is now speaking to the electorates through foreign institutions instead of engaging locally. This and many more, some experts said, is not just aberration, but misplaced.

However, piqued by the above-enumerated issues, and the earnest desire to reverse the ugly trend through policy dialogue, the Association of Foreign Relations Professionals of Nigeria (AFRPN), has put together, “Parley with Leaders of Select Political Parties Towards 2023 Presidential Elections,” with The theme, “Meeting the Diplomatic Community”.

Speaking on the Parley between the four leading political parties, in the 2023 elections, the President of AFRPN, Ambassador Gani Lawal, said, the objectives of the association, among others, are to impact the foreign policy of Nigeria in a positive direction seeking to add enduring alternative from the perspectives of reasoned options, emanating from the concerted synergy and brainstorming exercise from its variegated and experienced members and practitioners.

Lawal who said this while addressing a press conference in Abuja to herald the coming event said: “As part of its oversight function to impact on our foreign policy and in recognition of the pivotal role party politics play in the formulation, articulation, and implementation of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy, foremost contending political parties for the office of the president in the historic February elections will be brought to a round table to rub minds with the diplomatic community. Firstly, this is with a view of sharing with the anxious electorate the novelty of alleviating the pervasive perception of the waning clout of Nigeria in the continent and indeed universally; and secondly to deepen the knowledge and understanding of the input-output system that has informed the Nigerian Foreign Policy Options in the international arena which, has served her well as a leading player in Africa and the world at large”.

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Fielding questions from a diplomatic correspondent during the press conference, Lawal, gave more insight into the rationale behind the diplomatic parley with the leadership of political parties. He further illuminated the contemporary foreign policy thrust of the country.

He said, “Our target is the sanctity of Nigerian foreign policy. Don’t forget that foreign policy is an extension of domestic policy and we believe that unless we have well-informed government officials and institutions, our foreign policy will be targeted in a way that we do not want.

“As such, we believe in sharing our knowledge, and our experience with the political leadership, so that the nitty gritty, the input and output system, how we craft and formulate foreign policy that has served us to this stage would be shared with them, in terms of what they should do, and what they should not do.”

Giving further, reasons, the retired diplomat asked, “I don’t know if many of you have seen the manifestos of the political parties. We have discovered that information on foreign policy is very scanty. The reason why we are holding this round table is to be able to share knowledge and information for the political parties to come out with a robust manifesto, putting Nigerian foreign policy into account.

“Don’t also forget that most of these political leaders have been visiting various countries to sell themselves and we believe that by having a parley with them and the diplomatic community, there would be no need for any one of them to go to a foreign country when they can reach the entire globe through our platform at home.

“They will be interfacing with the international community and anything they say will be shared internationally. We are also looking at the idea of informing our group about what is in it for the foreign policy of Nigeria. What should Nigeria in Diaspora expect from the incoming president?

“We probably will see that the political parties have more to gain from this parley than those of us who are practitioners. But our own is to try to guide the political leadership, in terms of choices and options available to them to continue to strengthen the position of Nigeria as a major player in international politics.”

On how the parley will benefit the electorate, he explained, “We probably would realize that the community of diplomats are essentially enlightened, and the multiplayer effect of that is that the electorates would be able to gain from what the community has garnered from the political parties and share to the members of the public which we call the electorates.

“Don’t also forget that the Diaspora also have people at home, who vote in the election and I can assure you that if as a Diaspora, you had been sending things home to help your people, we can be sure that if such a person tells them that this is the way to go, they will surely go that way. And they can only advise adequately, if they have participated in this kind of parley.”

Speaking about Nigeria’s contemporary foreign policy thrust, he said, “The foreign policy thrust of Nigeria is “Nigeria within the concept of Africa,” and that is why we keep saying that Africa remains the centre piece of Nigerian foreign policy. Nigeria is in Africa, and Nigeria is surrounded by Africa. We have concentric circles in which we break down Nigeria into first, neighbours, second, region, third, continent, and forth, the world. Though in terms of priority, those are the areas, Nigerian foreign policy is targeting. When we talk of territorial boundaries, is it not your neighbours that are holding it for you? So, would we not be nice to them? If we want them to be nice to us. Regionally, when we say that we are a superpower in terms of trading, who do we trade with?”

However, addressing ThisNigeria’s question on the fierce criticism by scholars that Nigeria operates a “Father Christmas,” kind of foreign policy, the former Nigerian Ambassador to Venezuela, Ambassador Martins Cobham 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.

Cobham added, “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”.

“Your question, he said, is quite arguable, and apt, but noted that, “we want to see in this parley, a slight deviation, chatted towards making our foreign policy much more beneficial to the citizens. I believe that with the appropriate review of our foreign policy options, we would address these concerns of yours much better”.

The retired ambassador added, “I empathize with you, I was an Ambassador in South Africa, and I didn’t want to say much because I was not given the platform but I will engage you. I was sad that Nigerians out there, troop into South Africa because of high unemployment in the country. The problem we have with our foreign policy as you pointed out is the absence of economic benefits to us as a country. But it is so because we have not looked inward as a country, we have to create enabling environment, and we have to fight our image”.

Lamenting the horrible image of the Nigerian nation overseas, the Nigerian-born diplomat averred, “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 leader must address frontally, to bring it to a minimal level.”

Earlier, the Association of Foreign Relations Professionals of Nigeria (AFRPN), in a statement said, the association is the foremost Nigerian diplomatic forum consisting of major stakeholders on foreign relations issues.

He noted that its membership spans several institutions that deal with matters that transcend the frontiers of the nation’s borders such as serving and retired diplomatic staff and ambassadors of Nigeria, Nigerian officials in international organisations, and institutions that deal with foreign relations matters.

Others, the statement, said, include Nigerians in the Diasporas, University professors, lecturers, and students of International studies and political science.

The statement, also, disclosed that the parley will take place in the Rotunda of the Foreign Ministry at Balewa House, Federal Secretariat in Abuja.

In conclusion, it is expected that the policy dialogue, or parley if you want, would open a new vista that would redirect Nigeria’s foreign policy thrust away from, “Father Christmas,” to one that is economically oriented.