President of the Society for International Relations Awareness (SIRA) renowned columnist, journalist, unionist and human rights activist, Owei Lakemfa, has revealed that it is impossible for the presidency to pioneer a successful and effective foreign policy in the country, News About Nigeria reports.
He made this known while delivering a remark as the Chairman at the 2023 Annual Lecture of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN) titled “Foreign Policy Agenda Under the Tinubu Administration.
He noted that the Presidency has a lot of responsibilities, in addition to the enormous daily and hourly challenges it faces, stating that due to these things, it was impossible for the presidency to effectively be the engine room of the country’s foreign policy.
He, therefore, maintained that the job of maintaining the country’s foreign policy should be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He further noted that the country was on the verge of a foreign policy thrust based on the Conceptual Framework of a 4D Diplomacy focusing on Demography, Development, Diaspora, and Democracy.
He maintained that the country’s diaspora is important because of the foreign exchange situation in the country, adding that the importance of remittances from the diaspora has been estimated at over USD 30 billion per year in recent years.
Lakemfa, who noted that no country can be great if its domestic policy is floundering and not sound, called on the government to ensure that it prioritises the welfare and well-being of its citizens, among others, to have an effective foreign policy.
