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GLORIA FRASER

Nigeria In The World: Tinubu’s Foreign Policy And The Return of Diplomatic Influence

From regional leadership to global partnerships, economic diplomacy and Nigeria’s renewed international voice

“Nigeria affirms its rightful place among the world’s great democracies.”
— President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugural address, 29 May 2023

Foreign policy is the bridge between national ambition and international opportunity. But a bridge is valuable not because of how often a leader crosses it, but because of what travels across it—investment, trade, technology, security cooperation, influence and opportunity.

THE 4D DOCTRINE: DIPLOMACY WITH PURPOSE

Tinubu’s foreign policy is organised around Demography, Development, Diaspora and Democracy. Foreign policy must serve development.

THE WORLD AS NIGERIA’S MARKETPLACE

Tinubu has pursued investment diplomacy across India, China, the Gulf, Europe, Africa and Latin America. India produced announced investment commitments; China elevated relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; Qatar, Türkiye and Brazil produced agreements across several sectors.
These are not all completed investments. An announcement is not a factory, an MoU is not employment and a pledge is not productive capital. Their value depends upon implementation.

The March 2026 UK State Visit—the first by a Nigerian leader in 37 years—produced agreements covering trade, investment, defence and culture, alongside a £746 million financing arrangement for refurbishment of the Apapa Quays and Tin Can Island port complexes.

AFRICA, THE CARIBBEAN AND STRATEGIC AUTONOMY

Africa remains the foundation of Nigeria’s global ambition. Tinubu’s ECOWAS leadership coincided with military coups and the subsequent withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, demonstrating both the responsibilities and limitations of regional leadership.

Tinubu’s 2025 visit to Saint Lucia strengthened Nigeria’s bridge to the Caribbean and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Cooperation extended across education, tourism, culture, investment, health, trade and technology, including Nigerian scholarships for OECS students.

In January 2025, the Tinubu administration formally accepted Nigeria’s admission into BRICS as a partner country, opening another channel for South-South cooperation, trade, investment and engagement with major emerging economies. Together with expanding relationships with China, India, Brazil, Türkiye and the Gulf, this reflects strategic diversification—not abandonment of longstanding Western relationships.

As the Hausa proverb teaches, “Hannu daya ba ya daukar jinka”—one hand alone cannot lift a heavy load.

NIGERIA’S SECURITY COUNCIL AMBITION

Nigeria supports Africa’s longstanding demand for permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council and has presented its population, economic weight, regional leadership and longstanding contribution to peacekeeping as part of its credentials.

At the 80th UN General Assembly, Vice-President Kashim Shettima again advanced Nigeria’s case for permanent membership.
A Security Council created in 1945 cannot indefinitely ignore the under-representation of Africa. Achieving reform requires more than a strong argument. It requires coalitions and international support.

THE UNGA QUESTION: MUST THE PRESIDENT BE THERE?

President Tinubu’s absence from three consecutive UN General Assemblies has generated political and public criticism. The criticism deserves consideration because UN representation rules are not widely understood.

The UN Charter does not require the President of every member country to attend personally. Article 9 provides for Member States to have representatives in the General Assembly.

At UNGA 81, the United Nations expected only 71 Heads of State among its 193 Member States, alongside 45 Heads of Government, 11 Vice-Presidents, 50 Ministers and one Crown Prince.

Four countries illustrate the point clearly:

Nigeria: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not attend and was represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

Egypt: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi did not attend and was represented by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa did not attend and was represented by Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola.

Malaysia: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the country’s Head of Government, did not attend; Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan led Malaysia’s delegation.
Former Nigerian diplomat Ambassador Joe Keshi argues that the substantive question is not simply whether the President is physically present. With the Vice-President leading the delegation and national statement, Nigeria remains represented. Keshi also questions what repeated presidential attendance in previous administrations necessarily produced and cautions against unnecessarily large delegations and turning UNGA into a “jamboree.”

Presidential attendance unquestionably offers visibility and leader-to-leader access. But attendance is a choice, not a UN requirement. Where circumstances require presidential attention at home, representation by the Vice-President can be a rational allocation of executive responsibility. The better test is what Nigeria’s delegation accomplishes.

THE CPC CRISIS: DIPLOMACY UNDER PRESSURE

The United States’ October 2025 designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over religious freedom created another diplomatic challenge. Christians and Muslims have been murdered amid terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal conflict and extremism. These overlapping causes cannot responsibly be reduced to one explanation.

OPPOSITION VIEW

Opposition figures question whether the frequency and cost of presidential foreign engagements have produced sufficient benefits for Nigerians. Peter Obi has argued that diplomacy should translate into measurable investment, factories, jobs and economic growth, while Atiku Abubakar has questioned Tinubu’s repeated absence from UNGA.

The appropriate measure is conversion: agreements into projects, diplomatic access into influence, investment commitments into productive capital and international relationships into measurable benefits for Nigeria.

LESSONS FROM REFORMING NATIONS

India demonstrates how strategic autonomy can maintain relationships with competing global powers. Türkiye combines Western alliances with active engagement across Africa, Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Brazil combines BRICS and South-South diplomacy with Western economic relationships.
Nigeria’s lesson is similar: avoid dependence on any single bloc while using diverse relationships to advance trade, technology, investment, security and national influence.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“National leadership is measured not only by the country it inherits, but by the place it earns for that country among the nations of the world.”
— Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser, MFR

THE NATIONAL PATRIOTS’ POSITION

The National Patriots supports President Tinubu’s determination to reposition Nigeria internationally. Presidential travel should be judged by outcomes when it opens markets, attracts investment, repairs relationships, strengthens security cooperation and raises Nigeria’s influence.
Every major agreement should be transparently followed through, showing which pledges materialise and what projects and opportunities result.
We support strategic autonomy: strong Western relationships alongside deeper partnerships across Africa, China, India, Brazil, Türkiye, the Gulf and emerging economies.

Following the U.S. CPC designation, National Patriots addressed representations to President Donald Trump and the leadership or governments of Britain, the European Union and Canada, urging independent verification rather than automatic adoption of Washington’s position.
Our letter to President Trump bears the U.S. Embassy Abuja receipt stamp and registry acknowledgement. We do not claim National Patriots alone determined subsequent positions; we maintain that patriotic civil society should act when Nigeria’s international interests are threatened.

FINAL WORD

Tinubu has widened Nigeria’s international reach. The next test is conversion—turning visibility into investment, agreements into implementation, relationships into influence and diplomacy into tangible benefits at home.

The Great Reset cannot stop at Nigeria’s borders. A nation seeking renewal at home must also redefine its place abroad.

CHAPTER IN FOCUS

Nigeria’s foreign policy under President Tinubu combines the 4D doctrine with economic diplomacy, African leadership, strategic diversification and a campaign for greater influence in global institutions.

The enduring measure is whether Nigeria converts diplomatic access into investment, jobs, markets, technology, security cooperation and greater international influence.

Principal Sources: State House; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; United Nations; UN General Assembly Rules of Procedure; ECOWAS; African Union;yyy Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.

•Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser, MFR
President, The National Patriots.
Special Adviser to Former President Goodluck Jonathan GCFR.
Vice-Chairman Strategic Communications Committee Buhari PCC 2019.
Member, Strategy Committee, Presidency 2023.