The Federal Government has charged Nigeria’s ambassadors and high commissioners-designate to West African countries to take a frontline role in promoting democratic stability, regional security and economic integration across the sub-region amid growing geopolitical and security challenges.

Speaking at a strategic retreat for ambassadors and high commissioners-designate to West African countries in Uyo on Saturday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Her Excellency Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the envoys were assuming duty at a critical period marked by democratic setbacks, terrorism and shifting geopolitical dynamics within the region.

According to her, President Bola Tinubu expects Nigeria’s foreign policy to deliver peace, security and economic prosperity across West Africa.

“You are taking up your posts at a defining and turbulent period for the West African sub-region, and Mr President has clear expectations for your service, which is that our foreign policy must deliver peace, security and economic prosperity for the region,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.

She described the appointments as strategic deployments rather than routine diplomatic assignments, stressing that West Africa remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s foreign policy.

“West Africa forms the critical, non-negotiable second circle positioning Nigeria as the primary regional hegemon and anchor for sub-regional integration and security. Your postings are not routine diplomatic assignments. They are strategic deployments to the frontline of our national interest,” she stated.

The minister expressed concern over the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government in parts of West Africa, saying such developments had weakened regional cohesion and threatened democratic governance.

“The bond of brotherhood that characterised ECOWAS must be restored and the exception to unconstitutional change of government must be upheld. Democracy remains the best form of government for the peace and prosperity of our peoples,” she said.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu also identified terrorism, violent extremism and transnational crimes as major threats to regional stability, warning that the insecurity spreading across the Sahel was undermining years of economic progress achieved through regional integration.

“The wave of terrorism across the Sahel, which has a direct impact on Nigeria, has to be contained for the region to regain its pride of place,” she added.

She urged the envoys to pursue economic diplomacy aggressively by promoting regional trade and investment opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area and ECOWAS protocols on free movement.

“Regional integration is meaningless without robust intra-African trade. You must actively dismantle non-tariff barriers facing Nigerian businesses, promote partnerships in agriculture, manufacturing, energy and digital technology, bring West African investments home, and take Nigerian innovation to the region,” the minister said.

On security cooperation, she called for stronger intelligence-sharing arrangements and cross-border collaborations to combat trafficking, smuggling and other transnational crimes.

“A secure West Africa is a prerequisite for a secure Nigeria,” she noted.

The minister also directed the envoys to prioritise citizen diplomacy, insisting that the welfare of Nigerians living across ECOWAS countries must remain a key responsibility of Nigeria’s diplomatic missions.

“The protection of their rights and welfare is non-negotiable. Your embassies must become safe havens and efficient service centres,” she said.

Earlier, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, said the retreat was organised to prepare the envoys for assignments in a region that remains central to Nigeria’s security and development interests.

He described West Africa as Nigeria’s primary sphere of influence, arguing that developments in neighbouring countries have direct implications for the country’s national interests.

“Nigeria’s foreign policy must continue to focus on our country’s national interest in which the welfare and security of our citizens stand at the core. The realisation of these objectives is intrinsically linked to developments in our contiguous neighbours and the rest of West Africa,” Enikanolaiye said.

The minister of state maintained that Nigeria’s leadership role in West Africa remained intact despite changing regional dynamics.

“Rather than the notion that Nigeria’s leadership in the sub-region has waned, I am convinced that our role is in transition from one era to the other in light of changing dynamics in the sub-region, Africa and the world. Nigeria continues to lead the sub-region and the continent by the quality of its ideas,” he said.

He cited the West Africa Economic Summit hosted by Nigeria in June 2025 as evidence of the country’s continued leadership through policy innovation.

Enikanolaiye warned that the resurgence of coups, terrorism, illicit arms proliferation, human trafficking and other transnational crimes posed serious threats to regional stability.

“The resurgence of unconstitutional changes in governments, the prevalence of insecurity characterised by the wild wave of terrorism across the Sahel, proliferation of small arms and light weapons of illicit origin, drug and human trafficking, unregulated transhumance, banditry and other transnational crimes are new realities that must be confronted frontally and with diplomatic dexterity,” he said.

He also expressed concern over the withdrawal of some ECOWAS member states from the regional bloc and the growing influence of external powers in West Africa.

“The recent withdrawal of some ECOWAS member states from the fold of the community and the increasing presence of extra-continental powers in the region require a cautious but stern approach in managing and mitigating the anticipated outcomes,” he said.

Enikanolaiye reminded the envoys that Nigeria’s diplomatic engagements are anchored on the administration’s 4D Foreign Policy Doctrine, Demography, Development, Democracy and Diaspora, and urged them to promote economic integration, democratic governance and diaspora engagement in their host countries.

“You must seek to reposition Nigeria as a mediator, an honest broker, a peacemaker and a stabilising force in West Africa,” he said. (Saturday Tribune)

•Min. of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu in a group photograph with Nigeria’s ambassadors and high commissioners-designate.