A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has faulted the All Progressives Congress (APC)–led Federal Government for what he described as Nigeria’s “weak and incoherent” diplomatic response to the recent threat issued by United States President Donald Trump.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Wednesday, Olawepo-Hashim said he was not surprised by Trump’s remarks but by the poor response from the Nigerian government, which he argued exposed the decay in the country’s foreign policy and diplomatic machinery.
“I am not shocked about the threat from President Donald Trump. What shocks me is the Nigerian government’s response,” he said. “There have been hearings in the US Senate on these issues for years, yet Nigeria did not have a functioning ambassador in the United States. How then do you put your story across in a serious manner?”
The PDP stalwart lamented that Nigeria has been without a fully functional ambassador in Washington for a long period, blaming the APC administration for neglecting established diplomatic structures.
He accused the government of favouring informal “back channels” instead of engaging through official diplomatic frameworks, describing such behaviour as “funny” and unprofessional.
“They like back channels when there are institutional structures of communication in international relations,” Olawepo-Hashim said. “Your ambassador is your president in a foreign land, not the same as a chargé d’affaires. These structures, such as bi-national or bilateral commissions, have been paralyzed for years.”
He further observed that diplomatic cooperation between Nigeria and its neighbours, including Niger Republic, has deteriorated due to neglect and lack of strategic engagement.
According to him, the paralysis of formal diplomatic structures has weakened Nigeria’s global influence and eroded its reputation as a stabilising force in West Africa.
“The APC government, particularly under President Tinubu, has pursued a reckless and incoherent foreign policy,” he said. “This is not the first time we are being pushed to the brink of a foreign war. The first was when Tinubu threatened to go to war with Niger Republic. That was the first foreign policy blunder.”
Olawepo-Hashim called for a reset of Nigeria’s foreign policy direction, urging the Federal Government to rebuild institutional diplomatic relations and restore the country’s image as a respec
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