Professor Femi Otubanjo of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos, has said that Nigeria’s ability to project influence and command respect internationally is closely tied to the way the country is governed at home.
Otubanjo stated this on Tuesday while speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, during a discussion on President Bola Tinubu’s absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Insisting that, “A nation’s domestic image determines its international image”, the professor said that Nigeria cannot separate its international reputation from the experiences of its citizens and the manner in which government manages the country’s affairs.
He noted that the development of technology and the speed at which information travels had made it difficult for countries to shield their domestic realities from the rest of the world. “There is no remote country, as information is easily accessed from any location on earth”, he stressed.
Otubanjo’s comments came amid renewed debate over Nigeria’s representation at the 81st UNGA, where Vice President Kashim Shettima is leading the Nigerian delegation in place of Tinubu. He is scheduled to deliver Nigeria’s national statement on Thursday and participate in high-level and bilateral meetings during the General Assembly.
The Federal Government has said he is attending with the full mandate of the President and that Nigeria’s interests will be fully represented. But Otubanjo argued that Nigeria’s international standing should not be measured only by the presence of its leaders at major diplomatic gatherings.
The professor called for what he described as a “domestic reset” in the way the country is governed, saying good governance, accountability, transparency and frugality should form part of Nigeria’s effort to improve its image.
He said Nigeria’s aspirations on the international stage would have greater meaning when they are supported by confidence in the country’s institutions and the management of public resources, emphasising that “Nigeria’s desire to be recognised as the Giant of Africa and to exercise greater influence in continental and global affairs, must be accompanied by attention to the welfare of its citizens”.
Otubanjo however raised concerns about government expenditure, using some recent spending decisions to question what he described as the priorities of those in government. “Those listening to him know that the Federal Government had just spent N21 billion on building a house for Shettima; spent $150 million on an aircraft; wasted N90 billion for people to go to Mecca…”
Submitting that public expenditure should be assessed against the needs of ordinary Nigerians and the responsibility of government to improve their living conditions, Otubanjo said, “Nigeria has leaders who don’t know how to order their priorities and focus on their people”.
