Former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany Amb Yusuf Maitama Tugar assumes duty as Foreign Minister

Ezieke Jonas

Former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany Amb Yusuf Maitama Tugar on Monday assumed duty as Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa House Federal Secretariat Abuja

Ambassador Tugar who was sworn in alongside 44 other ministers designate that were screened and confirmed by the Senate is a member of the newly inaugurated Federal Executive Council.

He is taking over the duties of government from the Permenent Secretary of the Ministry Amb.Ibrahim Larmuwa following the end of tenure of  Geoffrey Onyeama the former Minister.

He was born in 1967 to the family of a former senator and hails from Bauchi State. The former diplomat who holds bachelors degree in International Studies and Masters degree in International Relations from a university in the United Kingdom was also a former lawmaker in the House of Representatives where he was a member of so many committees.

As the country’s representative in Berlin Germany, he was instrumental to the repatriation of over 500 artefacts to Nigeria stolen from Benin City in Nigeria popularly called the Benin Bronze and taken to Germany by the colonial authorities.

He expressed delight over his appointment by the President Bola Tinubu to be the Foreign Minister and pledged to work towards placing Nigeria where it supposed to belong in global political affairs

He also revealed that in no distant time, he would unveil the four Ds of Nigeria’s foreign policy which encompass democracy and development trajectories

He pointed out that the Foreign Ministry is at the forefront of protection of the national interest of Nigeria overseas and and pledged his commitment to move the Ministry forward.

The top government functionary equally thanked the ambassadors, directors and other staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his people from his home state for the warm reception accorded to him after his inauguration as Minister.