Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic and political reforms, stating that while they may be tough, they are essential for the country’s long-term stability. Speaking at Chatham House in London on last week, on 4th March, Ambassador Tuggar underscored the necessity of these reforms, describing them as a fundamental shift from policies that had long been unsustainable.
“President Tinubu is the first career politician Nigeria has had as leader in a long time,” Ambassador Tuggar noted. “In a country where politicians typically get a bad rap, I find myself sometimes having to state the obvious: real change requires the assembly of a ‘coalition of the willing.’”
He emphasized that the administration’s ability to navigate volatile and politically sensitive issues has been due to leadership that understands both what needs to be done and how to get it done.
At the heart of this transformation, Ambassador Tuggar explained, is the balancing act between economic stability and the sacrifices required to fix a fragile system. “What we are doing, and we are nearly two years in, is strengthening political accountability, discipline, and capacity— in tandem with the sacrifices inevitably associated with the reform of a failed and unsustainable economic model,” he said.
Beyond domestic reforms, Tuggar painted a picture of Nigeria’s evolving foreign policy, highlighting the country’s growing role in global diplomacy. He argued that Nigeria’s commitment to multilateralism remains firm, but the international order must adapt to contemporary realities. “We need to be honest about the rules-based international order. For more and more people, it is working less and less well,” he observed, referencing the widening global economic disparities and inequities exposed by crises such as COVID-19.
He pointed to Nigeria’s active participation in peacekeeping efforts across Africa, from post-independence missions in the 1960s to interventions in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Tuggar reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional stability but stressed that external powers must not dictate Africa’s future.
“Nigeria sees so much to be gained by working together to promote common values and common interests, and tackling common problems,” he said. However, he warned that if global institutions fail to reform, “others with much less sympathy for—and knowledge of—what might make for a stable and more prosperous world, will do it for us.”
Tuggar also addressed the complex relationship between economic policy and security, particularly in light of Nigeria’s recent removal of fuel subsidies and foreign exchange reforms. He acknowledged the hardship these decisions have caused but argued that they were long overdue. “Tell a country like Nigeria, which has now finally and painfully abandoned fuel subsidies, something we don’t know!” he said.
He tied these economic shifts to broader security challenges, including climate-induced conflicts between farmers and herders, energy security, and terrorism. “Unmanaged, these are some of the most significant triggers for violent extremism and irregular migration. Our problems are everyone’s problems,” Tuggar asserted.
Tuggar did not shy away from addressing West Africa’s recent wave of military coups, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to democracy while acknowledging the complexities of regional diplomacy. “It’s not up to Nigeria to decide who forms the government of countries in our region. But we can compromise only so far on the values of democracy and the vision of community that we share with other ECOWAS countries,” he said.
Despite repeated diplomatic overtures, he lamented that military regimes in these countries have rebuffed Nigeria’s attempts at engagement. “Every time we offer an olive branch, they use it as a stick with which to beat us,” he remarked.
Looking ahead, Tuggar advocated for Nigeria’s pursuit of “Strategic Autonomy”—a policy of maintaining national sovereignty while engaging in global partnerships that align with the country’s interests. He likened this approach to Nigeria’s historical non-alignment stance, emphasizing that the country’s primary responsibility is to its own people.
“Our tactical toolbox for policy implementation is built around what we call 4-D diplomacy: Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora,” he said, outlining Nigeria’s strategy for leveraging its youth population, economic potential, and global partnerships.