LUCKY DUBE: RETHINKING NIGERIA’S FOREIGN POLICY

LUCKY DUBE: RETHINKING NIGERIA’S FOREIGN POLICY

Nigeria has severally avowed that Africa is the centre piece of its foreign policy. Simply put, it means that Nigeria in the conduct of its foreign policy and pursuit of her international interests will seek the peace, security and well being of all African countries and its peoples. In time past, Nigeria’s foreign policy was robust and the country was respected around the world as it put the interest of Africa first in world affairs. If America has earned the sobriquet, “Uncle Sam” on account of her leadership role in world politics, Nigeria’s was “big brother Africa” on account of her penchant for putting Africa first. For Nigeria, charity seemed to begin abroad. Nigeria’s role at the United Nations, especially in peace keeping efforts in Africa and around the world is well acknowledged.

In Nigeria, all nationalities (black and white) are well at home and thriving in several ways. Take for example, the case of Nigerien immigrants in Lagos who freely go about their business soliciting alms from Nigerians who freely give as well. Nigeria committed men and resources well worth over 50 million dollars to fight apartheid in South Africa until that evil system crumbled in 1994 with that rainbow nation’s first multi racial elections ushering in democracy and Nelson Mandela as President of the country. Nigeria was the moving force that secured peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone, committing monumental resources to both struggles. Nigeria’s effort and achievement in peace winning and peace keeping across the globe is no mean feat. Compare these two instances with the complete mess Belgium, France and the UN made of Rwanda in 1994.

I have recounted these instances in light of the recent revelation that the killers of the reggae music maestro and icon, Lucky Dube mistook him for a Nigerian. If he were, why will they kill any one because he is Nigerian? South Africa did not dismantle apartheid only to replace it with Xenophobia which has come to the fore in recent times. Will the miscreants go after an American in that manner just like that? The South African Government has a lot of explanation and apology to make to Nigeria if this is indeed true. Black South Africa gained political independence and since 1994, their Government has done little to gain them economic advancement and lift the majority of the black population with poor education from poverty as all most of them ever knew was the struggle. Now crime has skyrocketed and instead of seeking answers to this and sundry social cultural issues plaguing the black majority, the ANC, in the manner of many popular parties that won independence for many of Africa’s countries is derailing on account of leadership tussle between former President Thabo Mbeki, who has left the party and his erstwhile Deputy, Jacob Zuma who has corruption charges wrapped around his neck like an albatross.

The understandable anger of the South African people should be directed towards their Government and not innocent Nigerians, many of who work and contribute to the advancement of the former apartheid enclave. I have no sympathy for the South African Government. I only feel for the family of Lucky Dube and the man himself, who was Africa’s biggest musical export. His death was particularly cruel. It is ironical that a man who preached peace, advocated non violence and the common humanity of mankind was claimed by violence in a senseless manner. Perhaps the South African government will now appreciate the enormity of the economic problem and crime in South Africa and set about combating it now it has claimed one of theirs and Africa’s best.

This Lucky Dube incident I do hope will in the coming months elicit debates among Nigeria’s many public commentators. But there is one question I want them to avert their minds to as the significance of the Lucky Dube incident which is not an isolated case must not be lost on us. They must ask themselves and Nigerians why we are hated and despised around the world despite our best efforts in the committee of nations. The other day I heard our otherwise respected information Minister talking of Re branding Nigeria. What is she re branding? Was there ever a brand? Are there no lessons for her to learn from history? What became of the last vain attempt to launder the image of Nigeria? What did they call it? “The heart of Africa campaign.”

Well if those who should know do not know what the problem is with our country, I will tell them. The problem with Nigeria is that we have mismanaged everything imaginable so badly that we do not even know how to start righting them. But it is obvious where to start if we will. Our “little brothers” do not respect us because of the kind of Leadership we have had overtime. If our leaders will run Nigeria right then there is no image to launder. The consultancy fee for these intangibles at times are mind boggling and simply unjustifiable by the results. Apart from the consequences of the misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, no one is attacking Americans. Hostility towards French men and Britons inside Europe is virtually unheard of. These people put their people first and their leaders are committed to their welfare. Whenever and wherever they suffer wrongs, their Governments will protect and get redress for them and the rest of the world takes note. Can we say the same of our country? Nigeria with its potentials should be king in Africa and well respected across the globe. But what do we get. Nothing.

No one respects a country whose leaders willfully undermine the will of the people, plunder their common patrimony/commonwealth, deliberately bungle elections and in the most hypocritical and wicked manner imaginable turn around to ask the people to learn from Ghana. It is fast turning out that the perfidy of many Nigerian leaders and politicians know no bounds.

There is so much wrong with Nigeria and her foreign policy. In the aftermath of the war in Iraq, American companies are involved in re building Iraq; America has continued to secure the gulf because of its strategic and vast oil interests, America’s huge industrial military complex supplied the armaments in America’s war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. What strategic advantage has Nigeria ever secured from playing big brother? After 1994, we could not reap anything from our support for the freedom of South Africa and the dismantling of apartheid there. Infact apart from the fact of liberating fellow blacks from the shackles of apartheid, all our efforts in South Africa went down the drain in one fall sweep – politically and economically. In 1995, Nelson Mandela, the man who benefited most from Nigeria and Nigerian’s large heartedness mobilized the rest of the world to suspend Nigeria from the Commonwealth of Nations and thus began the pariah status from which we are yet to fully recover. Without holding brief for the Late Head of State, General Sanni Abacha, probity demands Nelson Mandela should have been more circumspect in canvassing for sanctions against Nigeria at least in retrospection for the big brother Nigeria has been and besides, General Sanni Abacha did not at the time approximate to the Nigerian state.

With the dismantling of apartheid and the opening of a new market vista, it was expected that Nigerian businesses will invade South Africa. What did we see instead? The South African’s actually invaded us. The biggest telecommunications company in Nigeria today is a South African company, one of the biggest banks in Nigeria is now controlled by South African’s. I am unaware of any African country today where Nigerian businesses and businessmen hold sway in strategic sectors of the economy. Liberia and Sierra Leone is now being rebuilt. Who is doing the rebuilding? What percentage of the contracts has been awarded to Nigerian businesses? Again, as with the experience of South Africa, Nigeria and Nigerian’s gain nothing for their monumental sacrifice in winning peace for our two West African neighbours. These are the things we are talking about when we say that Nigeria should rethink and overhaul its foreign policy thrust. This naiveté charitable thinking must give way to a pragmatic and self edifying foreign policy. Whatever sentiment informed the choice of Africa as the centre piece of Nigeria’s foreign policy is no longer as valid as it was in the 1970’s.

In 1975, when the late Head of State, General Ramat Murtala Mohammed made the inspiring “Africa Has Come of Age” speech at the Meeting of the Heads of Governments of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) one could see the need for Africa to bond together in light of its then recent colonial history and the unsure footedness of the newly independent states in a continually fractious world between the East communist philosophy and the West’s capitalism. If anything, the countries of Africa are now rife to take advantage of their individual identity in a continent wide political union or each African country in the absence of that, especially Nigeria must make itself and its people the centre piece of its foreign policy. It is only after the internal contradictions and problems which in Nigeria’s case has threatened to consume us has been brought to a manageable proportion that we can again stick out our neck either for a continent wide Government or for pretensions of being any one’s big brother. Who needs a big brother who cannot take care of even himself? Another way, with a big brother like Nigeria, bullies will have a field day.

It is never too late to do the right thing though as Martin Luther King Jr. reminded Americans in 1963, One Hundred years after Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation freeing slaves, that though the negro remained in bondage everywhere, the time was propitious to start the process of the final emancipation of America’s black people even if it is starting One Hundred years late. Nigeria and her leaders must start doing the right thing from this moment onwards and the right thing is to refocus and retool Nigeria’s foreign policy. The welfare of Nigeria’s people should become the centre piece of her foreign policy while at the same time accommodating the best interests of the African continent but when it comes to any areas of conflict between the interest of Nigeria and that of Africa that of Nigeria should take precedence.


STEPHEN O. OBAJAJA is a partner in the Lagos law firm of Fountain Court Partners.