It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations never sleeps, its a beehive of works and diplomatic activities to make Nigeria and indeed the world a better place. ARM’s Akinola Akingbala had a rare privilege to interview His Excellency, Audu A. Kadiri, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations office, Geneva on the 15th December 2017. The Ambassador touched on many issues including the role of the Mission in the anti-corruption war of the President Buhari’s administration, global terrorism, Brexit, security, the reform of the UN and many more. The interview gives you the long-awaited vistas into the important works of the Nigerian Foreign Services, do enjoy.
Many did not know that the UN has another operational headquarters in Geneva besides that of New York; could you tell us what you do at the UN headquarters in Geneva?
The United Nations Office in Geneva, headed by a Director General, coordinates the activities of all United Nations agencies that are domiciled in Geneva. It also provides a platform for multilateral negotiations and engagements between member states of the United Nations and its agencies, as well as other multilateral international organisations that are domiciled in Geneva, Switzerland.
Yes, it is true that many people do not know that the United Nations has another operational Headquarters in Geneva due to the pre-eminence and prominence of New York in multilateral diplomacy. This number one place of the United Nations Headquarters in global diplomacy in New York is symbolized by the annual high-level segment of the UN General Assembly Sessions that are attended by Heads of State and/or Governments.
For Geneva, commonly referred to as “International Geneva”, such political prominence is not the case. In most cases, participation in the various sectoral conferences and diplomatic negotiations in Geneva is conducted at the level of Ministers, technical experts from, the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of UN member States, or of member states of the other international organisations, such as the World Trade Organisation or Parties to particular international conventions, or treaties, such as the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
The place and role of Geneva in multilateral diplomacy predate the establishment of the United Nations in 1945 at the United Nations Conference on International Organisation, held in San Francisco, United States of America. With the demise of the League of Nations as the central hub for the management of collective security and the breakout of the Second World War, a dangerous vacuum was created in the management of the relations between states. Therefore, under the leadership of the United States of America, the Allied Powers initiated several rounds of meetings from 1941-1945. The aim was to design a new post-war global order. These efforts led to the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. However, since the United States emerged from the Second World War as the most prominent and powerful country, namely, a super-power, it decided to have the headquarters of the United Nations in the United States, and New York became the seat of global diplomacy.
There was, however, a problem, namely, that Geneva had been the Headquarters of the League of Nations, with several of its agencies and conference facilities still present. It was therefore decided by the Allied powers to transfer ownership of these international organisations and facilities to the UN. As a result, Geneva remained the seat of these inherited international agencies and several others that were established thereafter. Therefore, this arrangement led to the creation of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).
Due to the multiplicity of UN agencies in Geneva, the UNOG is often referred to as “the kitchen” or “workshop” of the United Nations because, while New York is essentially very broad-based and political in its functions the heavy lifting and sectoral functions of the UN are virtually carried out in Geneva. Thus, International Geneva is the setting for the negotiation of sectoral issues from trade, to health, intellectual property, meteorology, labour, human rights and humanitarian issues, telecommunications, disarmament, among others. That is the place and role of International Geneva within the UN setting, as it constitutes its operational headquarters.
The Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations Office in Geneva is a multilateral Mission and the second largest Nigerian multilateral outpost after New York. It represents and protects the interests of Nigeria in the United Nations Office at Geneva and the more than 100 other international organisations based in the city. For your information, some of the UN agencies and bodies in Geneva include the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the Human Rights Council, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), World Meteorological Organisation, (WMO), the United Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UNAIDS, Global Fund, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), UNITAR, World Trade Organization, (WTO), among others.
In carrying out its functions, the Mission participates in all conferences and meetings of the various United Nations agencies and other international organisations. The Mission is also actively involved in the activities of various interest groups to which it belongs, such as the Group of 77, the African Group, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the OIC Groups. The Mission not only presents the views and advances the interests of Nigeria, it also negotiates on behalf of the Nigerian Government in line with appropriate instructions received from Headquarters and reports back. In most cases, Nigeria’s experts from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies participate in the negotiations and activities of the various international organisations and agencies in Geneva.
How would you describe Nigeria’s profile on the global stage taking into account its numerous roles in the United Nations and its present challenges?
Nigeria is a well-respected country in the international community, given the leadership role it plays in Africa, through the ECOWAS and the African Union, which to a large extent, relieves the United Nations of some burdens. A typical example recently was the role Nigeria played in resolving, what appeared to be a serious political crisis in the Gambia. Going back into history, since independence in 1960, Nigeria has aspired to play a leadership role in Africa. This disposition is contingent upon
Nigeria’s geopolitical location in Africa, its significant population, the relative size of its economy and the rich diversity and dynamism of its population. Some have referred to this circumstance in which Nigeria finds itself as “a manifest destiny”. Therefore, from independence to today, Nigeria’s foreign policy has been anchored on Africa being the centrepiece of its external engagements. This was the case during the liberation struggles to free African countries from the shackles of colonialism, imperialism and racist minority rule.
Therefore, Nigeria assumed a prominent place, not only in Africa but also on the international stage as a regional leader. With the conclusion of the decolonization agenda in Africa, Nigeria turned its attention and enormous national resources to the promotion of economic integration and development in Africa, settlement of conflicts in Africa and prominent participation in regional and global peacekeeping operations.
Today, Nigeria’s profile on the global stage is boosted by the unique personality, charisma and uncommon commitment of President Muhammad Buhari. This is evidenced by the fact that the G-8 countries extended an invitation to him even before his inauguration, to participate in their Summit in Germany, in 2015.
With a view to uplifting Nigeria from the deplorable state it found itself, in 2015 President Buhari identified three priorities, namely, reviving and diversification of the economy to create jobs; addressing the security challenge, particularly the Boko Haram insurgency; and combatting corruption. As far as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is concerned, these priorities constitute a credible Foreign Policy Agenda. As a result, Nigeria’s diplomatic Missions across the globe have been re-oriented and repositioned to pursue these priorities in their external engagement. This is even more so taking into account its roles in the United Nations, particularly through the Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva, the twin centres of global multilateral diplomacy.
The international profile of the country has been enhanced with Mr President’s personal participation in all the high-level segments of the annual sessions of the United Nations General Assembly in New York since he assumed office in May 2015. Mr President similarly participated in the Commonwealth Summit held in Malta in 2015; the Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015; the Summit of the Forum for China – Africa Cooperation in Pretoria, South Africa; the 3rd Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries held in November 2015 in Tehran, Iran; all Summits of the ECOWAS and the African Union held since his assumption of office.
It is noteworthy that Mr President had been appointed to serve as Mediator or Co-Mediator in resolving some conflicts in West Africa, he had personally participated in several high-level meetings of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the NEPAD Summit meetings. In fact, Mr President has been appointed as the AU leader to champion the fight against corruption in Africa in 2018.
Against the background of Mr President’s regional and global role in foreign policy, Nigerian Missions abroad have taken the cue in their external exertions. Thus, in Geneva and New York, we have availed ourselves of the multilateral platforms provided by the UN to advance Mr President’s priority agenda. For instance, only recently at the meeting of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights records of member countries, Nigeria called on Switzerland to facilitate the return of identified looted assets to Nigeria without further delay to enable the Nigerian government to utilize such funds in combatting poverty and the attainment of the SDGs, which will provide a conducive atmosphere for the promotion of human rights. Therefore, this pressure, and the other actions taken by other MDAs, particularly the Federal Ministry of Justice and in particular, Nigeria’s participation in the meeting of the Global Forum on Assets Recovery, recently, in Washington led to the Swiss government’s agreement and announcement on the release of US$321 million to Nigeria. Similar success has been attained in the decision of the Government of the Jersey Islands to release over US$300 million of looted funds to the Nigerian government. Thus, the anti-corruption war on the international stage is yielding positive results, as much as at home.
Similarly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with line MDAs facilitated the establishment of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), made up of Nigeria and its immediate neighbours to combat the Boko Haram. Thus, Mr President’s uncommon commitment to this security challenge attracted support and commendation from the international community.
On the economic front, the various reforms and in particular, Mr President’s devotion to weaning the country from the grasp of oil and gas, has led to various initiatives to diversify the Nigerian economy. Thus, programmes and projects have been launched to invest in agriculture, solid mineral resources, trade in goods and services and the introduction, in this regard, the ease of doing business in Nigeria. The infrastructure deficits are being tackled to unleash the productivity of the economy. In consequence, Nigeria’s bilateral Missions abroad are striving for foreign direct investments and attracting financial injections by regional and global financial institutions. Thus, it is worthy of recall in this regard that Nigeria has revived and held several Bi-National and Bilateral Commissions to attract inward investments to the Nigerian economy. These platforms are provided and anchored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its missions abroad, as a component of Nigeria’s Economic Diplomacy.
Thus far, it is evident that Nigeria’s present challenges have not impeded the countries pursuit of its vital national interests abroad.
The present administration has been battling corruption and Boko Haram insurgency heads on since its inception, what are you doing in Geneva to help this fight?
In Geneva, we co-sponsor and firmly support the adoption of resolutions on corruption in the Human Rights Council, just as our colleagues in New York do. The Nigeria Permanent Mission in Geneva has been actively using the multilateral platform to advance the administration’s fight against corruption. Nigeria has co-sponsored resolutions on the repatriation of illicit funds and proceeds of corruption in foreign countries, such as Switzerland, Jersey Islands, USA, among others. With respect to the Boko Haram insurgency, the Geneva Permanent Mission contributes in two regards. On the human rights front, at the instance of Nigeria and the African Group, the 23rd Special Session of the Human Rights Council was convened on 1st April, 2015, on the human rights violations by the Boko Haram terrorism. In its Resolution, the Council requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to document human rights violations and atrocities committed by the Boko Haram, in order to hold them to account. The Council also called for the cessation of support and resources to the Boko Haram and urged increased collaboration of the international community to states affected by Boko Haram insurgency. It should be noted that the Geneva Permanent Mission is also very active in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) based in Geneva. We also seek to constrain the ability of the Boko Haram to secure arms. We are therefore active in the negotiations in the CD on the acquisition and use of conventional weapons. Similarly, as a state party to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), we are very active in the activities and conferences of States Parties. The overall objective in this particular regard is to prevent and contain the illicit proliferation of light arms and small weapons, from which the Boko Haram benefits.
In line with the Government’s policy of economic diversification and encouraging foreign direct investment in this regard, the Permanent Mission in Geneva facilitated the participation of several Nigerian officials in relevant economic and financial conferences in Geneva. Mr. Babatunde Fowler, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS) attended the Meeting of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Tax Matters, where he was elected as the Vice Chairman of the prestigious Committee. Furthermore, Ms Yewande Sadiku, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission attended the Multi-YearExpert Meeting on Investment, Innovation and Enterprise Development. The conferences exposed the executives to the international best practices in the areas of taxation and investment promotion, which are no doubt relevant to ongoing economic policies of the present Administration.
There is no gainsaying that the Federal Government will certainly leverage on these exposures and international best practices in the efforts to consolidate on the economy’s exit from recession and for the good of the agenda of economic diversification. Furthermore, in collaboration with our sister Embassy in Bern, the Swiss capital, we also facilitate and support the participation of key government functionaries in the annual meetings of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This high- brow global platform, on which Mr Vice President and other members of the Federal Executive Council have participated in lately, provide practical solutions and approaches to varying national and international economic situations and challenges, from which Nigeria has benefitted. These are examples, among several, of how the Geneva Mission helps in the fight against Boko Haram, corruption and economic diversification.
Also, it will be recalled that Mr President had launched several initiatives on the Northeast of Nigeria, in support of the victims of Boko Haram. In this regard, the Nigerian Permanent Mission in Geneva has been working to ensure efficient collaboration between the humanitarian actors and international organisations based in Geneva with State and Federal agencies, NGO’s and National Committees on IDPs in Nigeria to provide succour to the victims of Boko Haram Insurgency in North-east, Nigeria. The Mission’s accomplishments could be seen in the areas of participating and ensuring efficient and result-oriented involvement and collaboration of the host of Nigerian stakeholders in the meetings of the UN humanitarian agencies. The Nigerian Honourable Minister of Interior, Lt. General (Rtd) Abdulrahman Bello Dambazzau, the Honourable Federal Commissioner for the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and the IDPs, Hadjia Sadia Umar Farouk and the Chief Humanitarian Coordinator, Dr Ayoade Alakija, participated in the various meetings of the humanitarian agencies in Geneva. The Permanent Mission provided the enabling environment for them to effectively brief the international humanitarian actors and UN member states on the true situation on the ground in the Northeast. These and other efforts have helped in galvanizing international support to the humanitarian responses to address the plights of refugees, IDPs and host communities in the affected areas.
Nigeria is one of the countries vying for a seat in the proposed reform of the UN Security Council. What are you doing to help actualize this and do you think we truly merit a seat on the Security Council?
Nigeria has been actively engaged in multilateral diplomacy, both in Geneva and New York, with the aim of actualising the country’s quest for the membership of a reformed and enlarged UN Security Council, in the permanent seat category. Nigeria as the most populous black nation in the world, and the largest economy in Africa, as well as its roles in peacekeeping operations and the settlement of conflicts in Africa, truly deserves a permanent seat in a reformed Security Council. It should be reiterated that Nigeria has been at the forefront in Africa’s contribution to global peace, and has also been taking the lead in promoting the cause of Africa and resolving African crises, such as in Chad, Somalia, Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, the Gambia, and Guinea Bissau. In fact, no African country has accomplished as much. For the foregoing reasons, Nigeria has been in the forefront in canvassing for the reform of the UN Security Council to reflect the current world realities. This call was repeated recently at the ongoing 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. We believe that a reformed Security Council, devoid of politicization, would immensely help in the maintenance of international peace and security. Our job at this stage is to first help in forging the needed consensus within the United Nations for the reform/enlargement of the Security Council, and to position Nigeria to clinch an African seat. This is a great task for Nigerian diplomats which will consume a lot of resources if the aspiration is to be actualised. There is no doubt that the leadership role Nigeria plays within the African continent stands it in good stead to successfully make a bid for a seat in a reformed UN Security Council. It should be said that our presence and active participation in the UN setting in Geneva obviously adds to Nigeria’s visibility and credibility as a capable international actor.
A number of landmark decisions with huge impact on international diplomacy have been taken in recent times such as Britain’s exit from the EU, bloodless coup in Zimbabwe and the pronouncement of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by President Trump. What are the implications of all of these? Especially on Nigeria’s position on the Palestinian issue
One of the key principles of Nigeria’s foreign policy is the support for the right to self-determination and independence of peoples. This informed Nigeria’s support for the liberation struggles in Southern Africa and its unwavering support for the rights of the Palestinian people for their homeland in accordance with relevant United Nations Resolutions. On the Middle East crisis, Nigeria supports the two-state solution, with the Palestinian people having their own state, and living side by side peacefully with the State of Israel. Nigeria’s support for the Palestinian cause was reaffirmed by President Buhari during his address at the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, held in September 2015. On the status of Jerusalem, Nigeria stands in support of the United Nations Resolution 478 of August 20, 1980 (co-sponsored by Nigeria), which rejected the decision of the Government of Israel to make Jerusalem its Capital City and called on all countries that have their embassy to relocate them out of the city.
The recent political upheavals in Zimbabwe have been happily resolved by its people peacefully. As a result, Nigeria can only encourage the Zimbabwean people to stick to the tenets of democracy and national dialogue and consensus, as well as to live in peace and tranquillity. As regards Brexit, Nigeria intends to sustain its strategic partnership with the United Kingdom after its exit from the EU. Our historical and functional links, including through the Commonwealth organization, will remain. Without a doubt, our relationship and engagement with the EU will similarly be sustained and even elevated after the exit of the UK.
Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, Geneva: African Ripples’ Akinola Akingbala with His Excellency, Audu Kadiri
Aside from the issue of terrorism, the United Nations is facing a herculean task in resolving several conflicts: the Syrian civil war, the Ukraine crisis, the religious fratricidal crisis in C.A.R. and territorial dispute in Asia between China and some of its neighbours; Libyan crisis and the North Korea nuclear standoff. What is Nigeria doing to help peacefully resolve these crises taking into account its quest for a seat on the Security Council?
As enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended, the pursuit of the peaceful resolution of conflicts is one of the key objectives of Nigeria’s foreign policy. Nigeria has always voiced out its genuine concern in any given international fora, regarding the numerous crises around the world. The Syrian civil war, the Ukrainian crisis, civil strife in the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali and South Sudan and other conflicts have received the active attention of Nigeria. For example, Nigeria was one of the earliest troop-contributing countries to the MINUSMA, the UN peace mission in Mali. It has participated actively at various levels to bring about the peaceful resolution of the Malian crisis.
We have always maintained neutrality in all these crises and called for genuine commitment as well as non-politicisation, in order to amicably resolve them. Looking at our voting pattern in the United Nations on some resolutions relating to these crises, such as Syria and Ukraine, as well as our national pronouncements, you would realize Nigeria’s sincere commitment in helping to peacefully resolve these crises. On the North Korea nuclear standoff, Nigeria has called for dialogue and engagements, with a view to a peaceful resolution. As a member of the UN Security Council (non-permanent seat) from 2014-2015, Nigeria actively participated in the global peace efforts on Ukraine and North Korea. Nigeria has always kicked against double standards and holds the view that each crisis should be given the adequate attention and commitment it deserves. We have always stood out as a voice for moderation even in the UN Security Council and UN General Assembly in Geneva, as well as the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Nigeria is a signatory to a number of the United Nations’ conventions; what are the parameters or considerations before the signing of such conventions? This question is against the backdrop that some of these conventions are not necessarily beneficial to us, nor truly capture the Nigerian aspiration and perspective in contemporary time.
Nigeria, as a responsible member of the international community, is a signatory to a significant number of United Nations treaties and conventions. Before Nigeria signs an international convention or treaty, it will first take into account the strategic importance of such convention to its national interest. Some of these conventions and treaties took years to negotiate, and Nigerian diplomats and experts were always involved in these negotiations to make sure that the national interests of the country are well protected. One of the latest conventions signed by Nigeria is the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, deriving from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in New York, in 2016. This is a global convention to reverse the negative effects of climate change globally to which Nigeria, like all nations, stands to benefit. Just a few days ago, Mr President was again in Paris for a follow-up Climate Change Summit.
Similarly, Nigeria benefits significantly for being a signatory to the UN Convention Against Corruption. Thus, our being party to this convention supports the present Administration’s fight against corruption. As a result, Nigeria enjoys international cooperation in the task of preventing corruption, criminalization and law enforcement, technical assistance as well as asset recovery. Furthermore, in the Administration’s efforts to counter violent extremism and terrorism, Nigeria’s party to the UN Comprehensive Convention Against Terrorism as well as the UN Convention Against Terrorism Financing are supportive in the fight against the Boko Haram. Likewise, in addressing the adverse consequences of desertification, soil erosions, flood and other environmental degradation, Nigeria benefits from the various UN Conventions on the environment. These include the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol; the UN Convention on Desertification; the UN Convention on Bio-Diversity; the Minamata Convention on Mercury, among others.
Also, in the field of disarmament, Nigeria is party to several UN Conventions, ranging from the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), Conventions on Biological and Chemical Weapons, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, etc. These treaties and conventions promote a peaceful international environment for states to engage one another and to avert war. With the existential threat posed by Boko Haram terrorism, restrictions on conventional arms transfer conduce to the non-proliferation regime of small arms and light weapons used by the terrorists.
Nigeria equally benefits from its belonging to several other treaties and Conventions of the World Health Organisation, the International Labour Organization, the UN Human Rights Office, the UN and non- UN international Humanitarian bodies, etc. With a view to attracting the benefits of our membership in these organizations, the Permanent Mission in Geneva participates actively in the meetings, negotiations and activities of these organizations and agencies as well as under their various international treaties and conventions.
World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO, on citing of WIPO’s External Office in Abuja, Ambassador Kadiri signed on behalf of Nigeria and the Director General of WIPO, Geneva, Thursday 14th December 2017
Nigeria will similarly benefit significantly from the recently deposited four instruments of accession and ratification at the PO on October 4, 2017, namely: WIPO Copyright Treaty; WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty; the Marrakesh Treaty and the Beijing Treaty. These instruments were designed to provide a framework of basic rights, allowing creators to control and/or be compensated for the various ways in which their creations are used and enjoyed by others. Most importantly, the treaties ensure that the owners of those rights in Nigeria will continue to be adequately and effectively protected when their works are disseminated through new technologies and communications systems such as the Internet. Nigeria and other parties’ adherence and implementation of these treaties will provide a substantial legal basis for healthy electronic commerce and sustain the national copyright industries, attract investment, and protect local creativity in Nigeria.
Likewise, the recently signed Host Country Agreement between the WIPO and Nigeria, on 4th December 2017, for the establishment of the WIPO External Office in Abuja is expected to further boost various Intellectual Property activities in Nigeria as well as in Africa.
The role of the Permanent Mission of Nigeria, Geneva, in all these organisations and agencies is self-evident as shown above. The Mission, within its Station Charter, and the Mandate given to the Ambassador/Permanent Representative by Mr President, will continue to participate actively in the meetings and activities of the various international organizations in Geneva. These external pursuits are guided by the foreign policy objectives of Nigeria, as enshrined in Section 19 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. It is obvious that the foregoing responses have sufficiently answered the question raised on the role of the Geneva Permanent Mission in the scheme of things.
Ambassador Audu Kadiri
Kindly define the organizational structure of the Nigerian mission and their roles in the scheme of things?
A typical Nigerian Mission, be it a High Commission, Embassy, Permanent Mission or Consulate, is headed by a Chief/Head of Mission. This can be an Ambassador or High Commissioner, Charge d’Affaires, or Consul-General, as the case may be, who is responsible for the general administration and political direction of the Mission. In the case of a Permanent Mission, the Ambassador is also referred to as the Permanent Representative, as his accreditation is to the United Nations or any other international organization. Missions are divided into several sections like Political, Economic, Consular, Cultural, Information and Education sections, each manned by a Foreign Service Officer of requisite experience. The internal administration of the Mission is delegated to the Head of Chancery, while the Finance Attaché is responsible for the finances of the Mission. Other Attachés responsible for technical matters are the Admin Attaché, Military Attaché, Labour Attaché, Trade and Immigration Attachés, etc., where necessary. In the case of the Permanent Mission in Geneva, most of the sections are based on Thematic Clusters of issues of the relevant international organisations, in line with my Station Charter as the Ambassador and the mandate of the Mission in Geneva.
In a few words, I want you to pitch Nigeria to the World.
Nigeria has a robust leadership under President Muhammadu Buhari, whose priorities are tackling insecurity, fighting corruption and diversifying the economy. His uncommon commitment to these goals has been globally acknowledged and has placed Nigeria in a positive limelight. The Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria has also been widely acknowledged by the international business community. Nigeria is therefore ready for business with the provision of new incentives and the recent liberalisation of the visa regime for business people and the dogged tackling of the infrastructure deficit by scaling up of the Federal allocation to capital projects. The security challenge is being substantively addressed, such that the Boko Haram’s capability has been virtually degraded and defeated. The fight against corruption has been very effective as the Administration has never wavered in its commitment. Accomplishments in this regard explain the choice of Mr President by the African Union to be the in Champion in the fight against corruption on the continent. The Nigerian economy has successfully moved out of recession and returning gradually to its vibrancy. In the fullness of time, Nigeria will again begin to fulfil its manifest destiny and find itself where it rightly belongs, in the community of nations.I thank the African Ripples Magazine for this interview and the opportunity afforded me to explain the role of my Mission in the pursuit of Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives. This Press Interview has also offered me an opportunity to share with you and your readers, the Mission’s efforts in pursuit of the Priority Programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari in the setting within which it operates in the quick-sands of global multilateral diplomacy in Geneva.
