.As Ribadu leads Nigeria’s delegation to US
Mr Boss Mustapha, the Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has urged the Federal Government to adopt a more diplomatic engagement approach in response to US President Donald Trump’s threats regarding the security situation in Nigeria.
Trump had designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
Mustapha, gave the advice on Thursday at a press briefing of the Nigerian Law School (NLS) Class of 1980 in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the the event was part of the activities to celebrate the NLS Class of 1980’s 45th Anniversary and Reunion.
The former SGF gave the insight into how the past administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, in which he served, dealt with similar situation.
“Well, because of the experience I have, this is not the first time we have been declared a Country of Particular Concern.
“In 2000 and 2020, the same Trump put us there, but without the drama that this one followed.
“There was no tweet. It was just at the level of a policy decision.
“And I remember then, we engaged, we dispatched a team to Washington, made up of technocrats.
“We applied soft diplomacy in terms of reaching out to friends within the global diplomatic community.
“And we leveraged the advantage of the stature of President Buhari to talk.
“A lot of things happen in the diplomatic clime behind the doors.
“It is not for media consumption. And, eventually, we got President Biden in 2021 to delist us.
“I expect that, that is what is ongoing now. And I believe that there should be less of noise and more of engagement.
“President Buhari will always remind me that America has a big stick and if they hit your head with it, the headache will never disappear.
“In his lighter moods, he would always remind me that caution in dealing with superpowers is important.
“Constant engagement, political back-end engagements, and leveraging friendship globally is equally important in the resolution of the issues now.
“We will resolve it. Nigeria is a great country. We have 230 million people,” he said.
He expressed concern over the growing insecurity in the country and increasing intolerance among Nigerians.
Mustapha, therefore, called for a conscious decision by people themselves to recreate the good old days when Nigerians lived together peacefully.
He said no country on earth is currently free from crisis, hence, it was incumbent on every country to evolve its own ways of addressing its challenges.
“We must evolve our indigenous ways of solving our crises,” he said.
The ex-SGF said it was not in the interest of anyone that the country should disintegrate in view of its consequences for the continent.
“If anything happens to this country, if we explode and just walk across West Africa, we’ll eat up all the food.
“And there will be starvation. People will die of starvation by our share number.
“So, even globally, the world is not interested in the breakup of Nigeria.
“I can tell you that because they know the enormity of the problems that will overflow Africa,” he said.
Mustapha said the NLS event, with theme: “The Nigerian Legal Profession at Crossroads,” would feature keynote lecture, with the topic: “Reassessing the Nigerian Legal Profession in the 21st Century – A Cry for Urgent Reforms.”
.As Ribadu leads Nigeria’s delegation to US
President Bola Tinubu has approved the constitution of Nigeria’s delegation to the U.S.-Nigeria Joint Working Group, as part of efforts to deepen collaboration in tackling security challenges in the country.
Malam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA) will lead the Nigerian side of the joint working group, supported by a multi-stakeholder team drawn from key security and policy institutions.
Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, announced this in a statement, on Thursday in Abuja.
The development followed the recent high-level engagements in Washington, D.C., led by the NSA.
Members of the team include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Others are Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Bernard Doro, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Mohammed Mohammed, and Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Ms Idayat Hassan of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and Mr Paul Alabi of the Embassy of Nigeria in the U.S. will serve as the secretariat.
Tinubu urged the team to work closely with their U.S. counterparts to ensure the seamless implementation of all agreed areas of cooperation.
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