By: Ademola Oshodi
Since taking office in May 2023, President Bora Ahmed Tinubu has redefine Nigerian foreign policy and not as an elite game of handshakes and photography, but as a strategic expansion of the national agenda to stabilize the economy, protect national security and improve the lives of everyday Nigerians. Under his leadership, foreign policy is not a theory. Delivery. And it's working. Foreign policy includes strategies, principles, and actions across a variety of diverse sectors, with sovereign states using a variety of tools for other countries (and related international organizations) to promote strategic interests (and their citizens' interests). Nigeria's foreign and domestic policies have always had a major impact on each other, particularly with a focus on regional leadership and security architecture, as well as social and economic partnerships. The evolution of Nigeria's foreign policy since independence has been heavily influenced by colonial (and anti-colonial) ideology, oil (economic) diplomacy and regional leadership. As the country's domestic situation evolved, often and fundamentally, Nigerian foreign policy appeared to have consistently prioritized Africa, a sub-region of West Africa (within the framework of the OAU/AU), and not clearly defined partnerships with Europe, Asia and the United States. The regional leadership and pursuit of global partnerships is not always translated into concrete returns for everyday Nigerians, particularly in terms of economic and practical social interests.
Tinubu made it clear that diplomacy must serve Nigerians. It needs to bring employment, lower prices, create stability and progress. For the first time in decades, foreign policy has come down from the tall towers of bureaucracy and has been firmly planted in the soil of Nigeria's daily struggle. It is foreign policy to put food on the table, electricity in the country home, dignity in the hands of young Nigerians. As a result, diplomatic engagement and negotiation, security cooperation, trade agreements and cultural exchanges have deliberately combined international engagement with the national political and economic goals.
Let's tell the facts. The president's bold leadership at Ecowas is a principled and non-implicit attitude towards military coups in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea. It was to protect Nigeria's economic and security interests. These coups threatened trade routes and raised food prices in northern Nigeria. By retreating diplomatically and securing important corridors, President Tinubu has protected the transnational markets on which millions of Nigerians rely. The result was a sharp decline in food expansion from 21.8% to 21.8% from 39.8% in December 2024 to 21.8% from March 2025, according to the UN FAO report. That's not theoretical. It is food on the table and rescues not only the market stalls of Kano, Kebby, Katina, Sokoto and Maiduguri, but also throughout Nigeria.
Critics have questioned President Tinubu's travel schedule. However, these diplomatic trips have produced more than protocols. They provided a commitment of more than $50 billion in foreign investment. Nigeria under Tinubu has carved strategic deals with the UAE, India, Qatar, China, Brazil and others. These investments count with refineries, roads, rail lines and super highway construction – 440 buildings. Projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coast Expressway and the Port Harcourt Aba Railway are not topics or concrete steel in good country. They are jobs, shorter travel times and new business opportunities. Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is projected to contribute $12 billion annually to GDP over a decade, including 10,000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs.
The President's foreign involvement also unleashed the N6.95 trillion trade surplus in the second quarter 2024, strengthening Nigeria's position under the AFCFTA. This is the result of trade transactions, tariff reforms and border adjustments that protect Nigerian producers and consumers. The trade surplus could increase Nigerian household income by an average of 3.8% by promoting price moderation and increased purchasing power. Meanwhile, defence diplomacy places its muscles behind its stability. More than 13,500 terrorists have been eliminated and new military hardware has been commissioned through strategic partnerships with Turkey, the US, France, Germany and Pakistan, indicating that it will not be bullied.
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An important but often overlooked dimension of President Tinubu's foreign policy is his solid national security diplomacy. Under President Tinubu's leadership, Nigeria has taken a firm stance against foreign accomplices in domestic instability. Following strategic diplomatic involvement, the 2024 arrest of five separatist-linked individuals by Finnish authorities marked a breakthrough in cross-border anti-violence cooperation. For the first time in the record, European partners have taken decisive legal action against the diaspora-based actor inciting violence in their homeland. This is a solid step in the process of turning perennial losses to the Nigerian economy, continuing to exist in billions of dollars through these individuals' deviant activities and ensuring that ordinary Nigerians are not hampered by their daily economic and social activities. It sent a clear message: the horn of the world will not protect those who undermine the peace in Nigeria. Alliances aren't the only foreign policy of Tinubu. It is defending national sovereignty with accuracy, determination and global reach. This is a foreign policy with tooth. It defends Nigeria's sovereignty not only across national borders, but across national borders.
The energy sector is also rekindling. The Nigeria Global Energy Forum and Visibility in Policy Clarity encouraged final investment decisions (FIDs) from companies such as Shell, helping to rebuild refining capabilities and energy security.
Additionally, the $8 billion commitment in oil and gas investments and a new, approved deepwater project, supported rural electrification, water solutions, healthcare and education, bringing consistent power to hundreds of schools, clinics and farms.
Under this administration, foreign policy has become a tool for economic repair. The Tinubu regime's bold reforms and high levels of diplomacy have also been translated into macroeconomic and foreign exchange stability, as well as debt notices. Strategic negotiations between the IMF and Afreximbank will lay the foundation for growth, showing how foreign policy was used to restore macroeconomic trust and stabilize the currency. The tangible result of this is that FX debt exceeds $10 billion and foreign reserves rise from $3.999 billion to $23.1 billion. For ABA's Alaba and Kanoor importer traders, this means stabilizing exchange rates and reducing import costs, leading to improved accessibility and affordability of basic essentials across Nigeria.
When President Tinubu renewed his 3.28 trillion currency exchange with China in 2024, it was not a handshake in the meeting room. It was a lifeline for Nigerian traders. Critics have dismissed it as a technocrate, but for traders like Alaba, Kano, Idumota and Onichisha it was the lifeline that ultimately bypassed the dollar squeeze and moved the goods. By trading directly at the original, they dodged the intermediaries, reduced costs and protected the fuss from forex turmoil. It's not abstract economics. It is that the president places firepower behind the survival of women in the market, the daily bread of traders, and the hard-earned resources of consumers. In a volatile global economy, President Tinubu has taken bold diplomatic action to defend her entrepreneur, Nigeria's economic backbone.
In quarter 2024, Nigeria reached 3.84% GDP growth over three years. This was the highest in three years. This is no coincidence. It is the result of intentional diplomacy that aligns global capital to national needs. This freed resources for public investment and growth, along with restructuring under the G20 Common Framework and concessional lending from multilateral lenders.
Tinubu's foreign policy recognizes Nigeria's biggest asset: youth. Over 70% of Nigeria's population is under the age of 30. His foreign policy focuses on removing barriers to opportunities for Nigerian youth through global funding of human capital. Partnerships with the World Bank, Afreximbank and the European Investment Bank have exceeded N80 billion to revamp 8,000 primary health centres. Additionally, over 300,000 students received education loans, with 900,000 women and adolescent entrepreneurs accessing grants and credit schemes. And a $800 million World Bank-backed cash transfer program? It reached 15 million households and put money directly into the hands of underserved people. This is a foreign policy and is being reused as a social policy for the benefit of Nigerians, especially those below the social and economic ladder.
President Tinubu understands what women in all markets of Lagos or mechanics know. Overseas in Nigeria, I support my family from home. Diaspora remittances consistently contribute more than $20 billion a year to Nigeria's economy. This is a contribution that has received direct attention from families and families who provide important cushions to meet basic needs, invest in education and healthcare, improving standard of living, and ultimately contributing to poverty reduction. His foreign policy opens new possibilities for global Nigerians as well as home families and communities. By re-replacing the United Arab Emirates, normalizing the migration routes between Germany and Canada, and expanding the legal routes for skilled immigration, President Tinubu has restored opportunities for workers and traders, and expanded the legal channels of skilled professionals. This results in stronger transfers, professional mobility, and cross-border families. The diaspora, Nigeria's second largest FX stream – is empowered and organized under the Tinubu clock.
Conclusion
Some may ask: What is Tinubu's foreign policy really about? That's about the outcome. Nigerians are seeing cheaper food, more stable currency, safer borders, and new jobs. These diplomatic missions have brought millions of measurable results, through cash programs, substantial cuts in food prices, electrifying thousands of rural homes, and new opportunities for young people and diaspora families, resulting in clear and measurable results. That's not diplomatic jargon. That's what the women and Benue farmers in Kaduna market really care about.
It should be noted that continuing domestic unrest, particularly insurgency in the northeast and intermediary joint violence, has established Nigeria for the peace and security of Nigeria, especially for the peace and security of these people. Nevertheless, relentless efforts continue to be applied to the arts and sciences of domestic and foreign policy to address these challenges.
•Oshodi is the senior special assistant to the President of Foreign Affairs and Protocols.
