Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has advocated for a recalibration of the country's foreign policy to align with evolving international dynamics, emphasizing strategic autonomy and Africa's central role during a lecture at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs.

Tuggar delivered the address, titled "Navigating Realities: Aligning Nigeria’s Foreign Policy Practice with Emerging Global Dynamics," at the NIIA in Lagos. He commended the institute for its 60 years of guiding Nigeria's external relations since independence, citing its contributions to key historical decisions like recognizing the MPLA in Angola and leading anti-apartheid efforts.

The minister described the current global landscape as a multipolar era marked by climate change, artificial intelligence, terrorism, migration, and inequality, drawing parallels to Cold War pressures that Nigeria navigated through non-alignment and the Concert of Medium Powers strategy. He warned against repeating past economic pitfalls, such as over-reliance on raw materials or externally dictated policies like the Washington Consensus versus the Lagos Plan of Action.

Under President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, Tuggar outlined a "Strategic Autonomy" approach built on the 4Ds: Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora. This framework, he explained, prioritizes issue-based partnerships over entangling alliances, leveraging Nigeria's population, market size, resilience, and moral authority. Africa's integration remains a cornerstone, with focus on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), collective security via ECOWAS and the African Union, and initiatives like the Regional Partnership for Democracy with the UNDP to bolster West African governance.

Tuggar pledged Nigeria's continued influence as a self-reliant global actor, rooted in justice, equity, and African advancement. The lecture, attended by diplomats, academics, and policymakers, underscored the need for intellectual input from institutions like NIIA to sustain Nigeria's diplomatic edge.