Dare Babalola
Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential candidate has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration of escalating the diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the US.
He attributed the rift, sparked by alleged religious killings, to what he described as “reckless and self-serving foreign policy.”
Hashim, who was a recipient of the Lord Max Beloff Prize in Global Affairs from the University of Buckingham, said the ongoing tension with the U.S. is not the fault of its president but a direct consequence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government’s incompetence and disregard for Nigeria’s national interests.
“It is deeply troubling that, as we speak, Nigeria does not have ambassadors in many key countries. The bi-national and bilateral commissions established to address pressing concerns on security and trade have collapsed for over a decade,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim further criticised the ruling party’s foreign policy, describing it as “a Janjaweed foreign policy, truly disgraceful and embarrassing.”
He accused the government of bypassing professional diplomats in favor of “poorly informed operatives and international outlaws” who promote shady interests incoherently and dangerously.
Recalling Nigeria’s past role as a stabilizing force in Africa through peacekeeping missions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Darfur, Hashim lamented that the country’s global standing had been reduced to ridicule under the current administration.
“Our current predicament is both tragic and disgraceful,” he said, warning against attempts to dismiss reports of targeted killings of Christians and other groups. “Which categories of Nigerians need to die in the staggering numbers we see before we acknowledge the evidence of complicity and failure to protect citizens?”
Hashim further alleged that supporters of the ruling party have continued to issue threats against groups perceived not to support Tinubu, warning that such acts could amount to crimes under international law.
He added, “These threats are directed at an ethnic group that predominantly practices one faith. Such acts cannot be dismissed as internal affairs when Nigeria is a signatory to many international human rights conventions.”
The former Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience called for an urgent national dialogue to reform Nigeria’s security and foreign policy framework after the Tinubu administration, saying the country needs “a new architecture that guarantees peace, stability, and sovereignty.”
“Genuine patriots must begin consultations to rebuild a framework that ensures peace, stability, and the preservation of Nigeria’s sovereignty. If the American initiative has become a catalyst for this necessary national reawakening, then it is a most welcome development,” he noted.
