Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi has called for an effective domestic policy and political restructuring for Nigeria to have meaningful international engagement among global communities.
Speaking at the 60th-anniversary lecture of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), the Governor also emphasized the need for the country to address its internal political and economic challenges to be able to utilize its resources in securing its rightful position in Africa.
Fayemi in his lecture titled “Fixing Nigeria for a Better World”, disclosed that the current discontent and agitations in the country were clear indications of the current structural challenges that needed to be addressed by all the constituent units of the federation.
He maintained that there must be domestic peace, national cohesion, coherence, and confidence among Nigerians and their leaders to engage meaningfully with neighbouring countries and the rest of the world.
“It has long been established as a dictum that foreign policy is both a reflection and continuation of domestic policy.
“History teaches us that when countries are at peace with themselves at home and their citizens at one with the leadership, they are able more effectively to engage meaningfully with their neighbours and the rest of the world.
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“Conversely, when countries are in a state of internal turmoil and experiencing statehood challenges, the tendency has been for them to be less able to engage robustly with the rest of the world.
“Domestic peace and prosperity are necessary initial conditions for a stable, productive, and meaningful interaction with the global community. Domestic turmoil, instability, and disarray have distracting effects that add up to reduce the reliability and effectiveness of the countries concerned in the global politics that nations play among themselves.
“We must therefore look inward and work assiduously towards tackling our internal problems even as we try to assume the leadership position that destiny has bestowed upon us in Africa,” he said.
Despite the myriad of internal challenges confronting the country, Fayemi stated that Nigeria must not shirk its responsibility towards neighbouring countries, noting that their peace and prosperity are vital to the country’s socio-economic growth.
According to him, Nigeria must not be bogged down by its own internal challenges to the extent that it is unable to rescue its less-privileged neighbours who always look up to her for help.
“Let me be categorical in saying that despite our domestic challenges, we must not shirk our responsibilities towards our neighbours for it is when there is peace around us that we can truly enjoy peace and prosperity within our territory,” he said.
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