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Interview:
Corporate Nigeria (CN) talks to
Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, SAN, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Fostering International Relations
CN: Congratulations on your recent appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs. You take the job at a time when Nigeria has a seat on the UN Security Council. What do you see as the key foreign policy issue to be addressed and developed before the next election in 2011?
Mr. Odein Ajumogobia: I think it’s a great privilege to have a seat on the Security Council, as you know Nigeria aspires to a permanent seat on the council. We think that this non-permanent seat that we have on the council presents us with an opportunity to project our interest on the world stage. Those interests include projecting a new environment of peace and security and we are working very hard towards this, hence the amnesty initiative that was put in place by late President Yar’Adua to ensure peace and security in the Niger Delta in particular, and the sub-region.
We have an interest that is broader than the interest internally. Global oil prices are directly affected by the conflict in the Niger Delta and therefore that is one of our priorities. Projecting a strong democracy as an example to countries on the continent and we are in the middle of preparations for elections with the reconstitution of the Independent National Electoral Commission. Trying to do what we’ve been doing, focusing on resolving crisis on the continent because without peace and security we can’t achieve our goal of sustainable development.
In the African region, Nigeria has played a leadership role in the search for peace in countries such as Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Niger, Somalia, Dafur and Cote D’Ivoire. How important is it for Nigeria and Africa if there is going to be sustainable development and the country is seen as a safe place for investment?
Mr. Odein Ajumogobia: Without peace and security, investment is an illusion because the world has become a very small place and investors have a choice.
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