Tuggar: Over-alignment Risks Dragging Nigeria into Unwanted Conflicts

•Champions strategic autonomy as Nigeria’s global compass

Fidelis David in Akure

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has called for a deliberate and independent foreign policy direction for Nigeria, warning that over-alignment with global powers can expose the country to avoidable crises and erode sovereignty.

Tuggar made the assertion while delivering the inaugural lecture of the Institute of Diplomatic Practice, Culture and Language Development, Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State.

He described strategic autonomy as Nigeria’s most viable path in an increasingly fragmented global order.

He stated, “It is important to begin with a clarification. Strategic autonomy is not new to Nigeria’s foreign policy. It is, in many respects, a continuation of a long-standing tradition.”

He traced Nigeria’s position to its early post-independence stance, stating that the country has consistently maintained a non-aligned posture rooted in independent judgment and national interest.

According to him, “That principled position on non-alignment was not an absence of position, it was the assertion of agency.”

The former minister stated that what was now termed strategic autonomy was merely “a refinement, adapted to the realities of a more complex, fragmented, and multipolar world,” stressing that Nigeria must remain deliberate in protecting its sovereignty amid shifting global alliances.

Highlighting current geopolitical tensions, Tuggar warned that nations that surrendered their agency risked becoming casualties of conflicts they neither initiated nor controlled.

“Countries which trade agency for security guarantees may find themselves exposed and entangled in conflicts they cannot easily disengage from,” he said.

He pointed to ongoing rivalries and proxy conflicts across regions, stating that global power contests are already reshaping Africa’s economic and political landscape.

Tuggar cautioned, “Nigeria and Africa have challenges enough of their own. We cannot afford to become collateral damage in competitions we did not design.”

He added that Nigeria’s foreign engagements must continue to reflect its moral commitments, including peacekeeping and democratic support, but insisted these should align with national and continental priorities.

The former minister explained that the country’s foreign policy under President Bola Tinubu had been structured around the Four-Ds doctrine — Democracy, Development, Demography and Diaspora — which he said provided “coherence” and ensured Nigeria’s diplomacy remained purposeful rather than reactive.

On Africa’s economic positioning, Tuggar criticised the long-standing extractive model, describing it as a cycle of “dig it up, sell it, and buy it back,” which had limited the continent’s ability to create value and achieve true economic independence.

Listing reforms introduced during his tenure, Tuggar cited the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Unit, creation of Regional Partnership for Democracy, and convening of West Africa Economic Summit as steps to enhance Nigeria’s global influence and foresight.

“Strategic autonomy does not imply disengagement; on the contrary, it requires active and sustained engagement,” he said.

Tuggar revealed that he participated in 91 international engagements across 45 countries while in office.

He maintained that Nigeria must continue to balance relationships with traditional allies while expanding its presence in emerging global platforms, such as BRICS, the G20 and other South-South cooperation frameworks.

In his opening remarks, Acting Vice Chancellor of Achievers University, Professor Oyesoji Aremu, described the lecture as a significant milestone.

Aremu said the institute was established to advance knowledge in diplomacy, culture and language through global collaboration.

“The choice of the Honourable Minister as the inaugural lecturer is not optional, but a necessity,” Aremu said, adding that the lecture aligns with the university’s vision of producing globally relevant scholars and practitioners.

Pro-Chancellor of the university, Dr. Bode Ayorinde, represented by Professor Omolola Irinoye, commended the establishment of the institute as a forward-looking initiative designed to position the institution at the forefront of global academic engagement.

Ayorinde stated that partnerships with foreign embassies and scholars would enrich learning and broaden students’ perspectives.

In his remarks, Director of the institute, Professor Bola Akinterinwa, emphasised the importance of intellectual depth in diplomacy.

Akinterinwa stressed that the institute was created to produce thinkers and practitioners who understood both the mechanics and philosophy of foreign policy, particularly the concept of agency in international relations.

Also speaking, Professor Babatunde Emmanuel of the university’s Department of Electrical and Information Engineering stressed the need for Nigeria to embrace technology and industrialisation as pillars of true autonomy.

Emmanuel lamented the country’s slow adaptation to successive industrial revolutions, pointing to the decline of local industries and dependence on foreign technology.

“We must begin to think more creatively,” he stated.