The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a pragmatic, interest-driven foreign policy, anchored on economic growth, job creation, and strategic global partnerships.
Mr Tuggar said this in a statement issued on Sunday through Alkasim Abdulkadir, his special assistant on media and communications strategy.
Mr Abdulkadir quoted Mr Tuggar as saying this during a high-level panel entitled “BRICS, GCC and evolving relations for a Changing Global Order” at the Doha Forum 2025.
The minister said, “Nigeria remains committed to building partnerships based on mutual respect, shared interests, and tangible economic outcomes that directly benefit its people.”
He explained that Nigeria’s foreign policy under President Bola Tinubu was shaped by the country’s demographic realities and development priorities.
This, according to him, with a population of no fewer than 230 million people, mostly young people, Nigeria must urgently expand employment opportunities, grow its middle class, and attract sustained investment.
He reiterated that Nigeria’s engagement with platforms such as BRICS and the G20 is not driven by ideological alignment with any bloc, but by national interest.
“Nigeria is deliberately avoiding rigid East–West divisions and instead pursuing balanced relationships with all partners in a rapidly changing multipolar world,” he said.
ALSO READ: Tuggar’s foreign policy doctrine: Aligning diplomacy with development, By Simbo Olorunfemi
He cautioned against the importation of external geopolitical rivalries into Africa, stressing the need to safeguard regional stability and prevent proxy competition that could undermine peace and development.
He said Nigeria’s participation in global bodies reflected its long-standing tradition of independent diplomacy and multilateral engagement, rooted in its historic role in Africa’s liberation struggles and its contributions to global development cooperation.
(NAN)
