Minister rules out review of Nigeria’s foreign policy

Mr. Wali told the heads of foreign missions in the country that he intends to strengthen existing relationships.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, said in Abuja on Monday that he had no plans to review the foreign policy direction of Nigeria.

Mr. Wali said this in his maiden meeting with heads of foreign missions in the country, five days after he was appointed into the cabinet by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“As the new Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is not my intention to change the direction and content of Nigeria’s foreign policy which has stood the test of time.

“Rather, I intend to recreate a new era for Nigeria’s foreign policy by sharpening our focus on what will best serve the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians in our engagements with the outside world.”

Mr. Wali told the diplomats that it was his intention to build on existing relations and to promote new partnerships and collaborative initiatives.

He said the new partnership would be centred on issues that are germane to national interest and in tandem with the present government’s development goals under its Transformation Agenda.

Nigeria’s foreign policy thrust had strongly tilted toward ‘economic and citizen’ diplomacy in the past decade.

Mr. Jonathan, in his New Year message, underscored his administration’s focus on economic diplomacy by highlighting increased Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, into Nigeria.

Mr. Jonathan cited a UN Conference on Trade and Development report which named Nigeria as the number one destination for investments in Africa, for the second year running.

According to the UN report, the total FDI inflow into Nigeria was $8.9 billion in 2012 compared with $6.1 billion in 2010.

Mr. Wali is the 26th minister of foreign affairs since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.

(NAN)