DESPITE internal challenges of stability and the slur of electoral violence, Nigeria’s foreign policy would remain unchanged, Foreign Affairs Minister, Odein Ajumogobia, has said.

Addressing members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Nigeria at the weekend in Abuja, the minister explained that although there may not be changes in the foreign policy, what might become visible in the new four-year tenure of the President would be more “pointed and assertive”

“At all times, we shall pursue an independent foreign policy driven by our national interest as we play our vital role in the socio-economic development of our nation. In other words, we shall, vigorously and sensibly, pursue a foreign policy that reflects the aspirations of our new Nigeria,” he said.

The briefing was the first direct diplomatic communication to the outside world since president Goodluck Jonathan was re-elected last month with attendant violent outbursts in parts of the country.   The international community and its observers had condemned the spate of violence and held the elections to be generally free and fair.

Giving a hint that the ongoing prosecution of those arrested for electoral violence would not be abandoned halfway as has been the case in the past, the minister told the envoys that the Federal Government truly regrets the loss of lives and property owing to frustrations by some over the election results.

Ajumogobia also asserted that the post election violence, which claimed several lives in northern Nigeria, was deliberately orchestrated.

He then went ahead to dispel insinuations in some quarters that violence was an integral part of the Nigerian electoral process stressing that Nigeria had at various times in its history conducted peaceful elections and it would be out of place to link the recent violence to the process.

But he admitted fairly that there was the tendency in some quarters to attribute the wanton destruction and violence on the shortcomings of the 2011 elections “since some elections in the past had precipitated violence.”

He said in this regard, “I say, some elections, because Nigeria had conducted violence-free elections in the past, in 1979, 1993 and 1999 especially…In other words, violence is not an integral part of elections in Nigeria, as some critics would like to suggest… whereas the 2011 elections were clearly designed and implemented to deviate from the past and set a benchmark for credible elections in the future.”

Expressing confidence that this aim had been achieved, he continued: “Indeed if post election violence were necessarily a fall out of a compromised election, the transparency and wholesome integrity of the 2011 exercise should have been enough to immunize these elections from violence…I believe that President Jonathan’s victory in these 2011 Elections similarly transcends a victory of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party. It signifies a new beginning for Nigeria. A new Nigeria.”

“Everyone, curiously even the dissenting voices in the main opposition parties have reaffirmed the effectiveness and integrity of Prof. Jega and applauded INEC’s performance and effectiveness and I wish to use this opportunity to do so again”, he added.

Responding on behalf of the diplomatic community, the dean of the diplomatic corps and ambassador of Burkina Faso to Nigeria, Draman Yameogo, noted that Nigeria made Africa proud with the successful conduct of the polls.

Pointedly, he said: “As far as the world is concerned, your country (Nigeria) conducted free, fair and credible elections that has made the whole of Africa proud. From what monitors saw on ground, the election was a success. With this, no African country has an excuse not to get right its elections. With the example set by Nigeria. So, on behalf of myself and colleagues in the diplomatic community, we are willing to support Nigeria and the new administration in its drive to further develop Nigeria.”

The ambassador emphasised that with the “pace” now set by Nigeria, no African nation has an excuse to fail to embrace a peaceful transition of power.

-Guardian

Posted by admin on May 9 2011. Filed under Latest Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry