Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye and the Vice-Chancellor, Yakubu Gowon University, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi. [Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Yakubu Gowon University have agreed to collaborate on diplomatic training, policy research and capacity building as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s foreign service and align the country’s foreign policy with national development priorities.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while receiving the management of the Yakubu Gowon University, formerly known as the University of Abuja, led by its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, on a courtesy visit.
According to a statement signed by the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the partnership will focus on training, research, migration management and ECOWAS awareness, among students.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria’s foreign policy must remain people-centred and support the administration’s 4Ds Foreign Policy — Doctrine of Demography, Development, Democracy and Diaspora.
“Foreign policy must be centred on the Nigerian people and must deliver tangible outcomes in prosperity, job creation, security and overall well-being,” the minister said.
Enikanolaiye, Fawehinmi and some management members of the university. [Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs]He added that democracy and security should serve as means to improving citizens’ standard of living.
He also stressed the need to strengthen the ministry’s human resource capacity through continuous training, retraining and research to build a professional foreign service capable of responding to evolving global realities.
As part of the proposed collaboration, the minister said the ministry and the university would work together on mid-career training programmes, revitalising the Nigerian Foreign Service Academy, conducting policy research to support evidence-based decision-making, promoting managed migration and establishing ECOWAS Clubs in tertiary institutions to increase students’ awareness of the regional bloc.
He also directed relevant directors in the ministry to develop modalities for regular engagements between the university and ambassadors and high commissioners resident in Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of the university’s Governing Council, Senate, management, staff and students, Fawehinmi said the institution was well positioned to support the ministry’s objectives.
He said, “Yakubu Gowon University, as the only Federal conventional university in the FCT with a student population of over 40,000, is well positioned to collaborate with the Ministry.”
The VC identified the university’s Directorate of Foreign Studies and Foreign Languages and the Centre for Migration and Security Studies as key platforms for cooperation in staff and student exchanges, educational and cultural programmes, and postgraduate professional training for officials of the ministry and members of the diplomatic corps.
He also requested the ministry’s support in convening a forum that would bring together ambassadors and high commissioners to explore areas of collaboration with the university.
Both parties agreed to establish a joint working team to develop the framework for implementing the agreed areas of cooperation, with the ministry reaffirming its commitment to partnering with academic institutions to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic capacity and enhance the country’s global image.
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