Buhari’s shuttle diplomacy

In the past two weeks, following his inauguration, President Muhammadu Buhari has made several trips out of the country. First of those trips were the visits to Niger and Chad. These countries together with Nigeria and Cameroun are the epicentre of the fight against Boko Haram. For a President who never hide his consternation regarding the way and manner the previous government handled the insurgency, it was fitting in the end that he has put action to the words he spoke concerning the importance of securing our land from the clutches of those angling to destroy it. Security therefore is a big problem in our country because asides insurgency in the north east, there are other potential insurgency points around the country. and of course there is the ever present violent crime of armed robbery, kidnapping and general impunity that make our society look like a banana republic. Recall that just this week, Boko Haram has attacked Chad where they left 28 citizens of that country dead after an attack. There have been attacks on Cameroun and Niger. Let's not forget that some of the major successes we have recorded in the fight against terror in the past were hugely attributable to the support we received from these countries. To think that these are countries we used to help in the past clearly shows how badly we have sunk as a nation. This may have been the reason the president exclaimed during the campaigns that it was shameful that Nigeria now relies on her neighbours on military intervention on what was wholly a Nigerian problem. Unfortunately, this problem was allowed to fester and we are hereby confronted with a reality that has forced our newly elected leader to go back to these same countries to seek help. The visits were not only to thank the people and government of these countries for their support but was also to solicit for more cooperation in all ramifications. Little wonder we are beginning to see an improved perspective on this war, especially in the area of coordination and even funding. After visits to those countries, the president made a trip to Germany during the G7 Summit. Although the shopping list that was requested by members of the group of most industrialised nations have not been sufficiently laid bare, suffice it to say however that for every keen foreign policy expert, the meetings that our President held in Germany will begin to yield fruits in no distant time. We also note the recent donation by the United States government of the sum of $5 million to aid the fight against Boko Haram. Other assistance surely will come, including assistance in the fight against corruption and in the area of trade and our economy. The president, within these past two weeks made a trip to South Africa to attend the African Union Summit. He even chaired the Peace and Security Committee. There, he appealed to the Union and member states to pay attention to the crisis of immigration currently ravaging parts of Africa. He mentioned that African leaders must do something about their domestic economies that makes it easy for their citizens to shame Africa with the brutal deaths at the Mediterranean Sea in their bid to crossover to Europe and desperate bid to survive. He touched on terrorism and wars while calling for a paradigm shift in the scheme of things in Africa. He also took the opportunity to meet with the Nigerian community in South Africa where he urged them to be proud but obey the laws of the country they reside. Apart from the president, the vice president also visited Sudan during the inauguration of that country's president; he visited South Africa for the World Economic Forum, Africa, where he got engaged in the sessions on how to expand business opportunities in Africa. It is safe to say that these past weeks have been eventful. Happening at a time most nations of the earth hardly took our leadership serious, these visits and meetings signal a shift in our foreign relations collaborations. Our advice is that Nigeria makes the most and the best out of these trips. Our foreign policy must be mutually beneficial. Our foreign policy objectives must be that which enhances economic value and proper integration within the comity of nations. Although we are aware that the president has one more trip to make to Cameroun, it is our belief that it is now time to sit down at home to attend to pressing national issues. The trips were right; and it is now ripe to apply the same verve at home.