PROF. BOLAJI AKINYEMI: New World Order And What Nigeria Must Do

”Right now, Nigeria with a military budget of $2billion is ranked in terms of capability as 35th in the world with 223000 personnel. Pakistan on the other hand is ranked no. 10 with a budget of $10.3billion, 654,000 personnel, 2200 tanks, 582 aircraft. Nigeria knows what to do.”

Under normal circumstances, this topic would be out of order as no one knows who the Presidential candidates  will be, not to talk of who the next President will be. To that extent putting forward a manifesto of global proportion may be perceived as putting the cart before the horse.

Circumstances in the world today are not usual. Covid 19, Omicron, now the Russian-Ukraine war, and the rise of China as a global super-power have created what amounts to a decline of the old world order and a scrambling for a new world order.

The characteristics of the new world order are not known. What is clear is that there is a scramble by medium-income states to secure seats at the table to create a new world order. No one wants to make the mistake of leaving the jigsaw puzzle to the two superpowers of USA and China plus a few handpicked European medium-powers and their allies.

I urge Nigeria to join in the search for a new world order by becoming an active participant. The view widely held is that Nigeria is not an active participant on the global scene because of a lack of domestic consensus among the domestic Foreign Policy elite. I will not subscribe to this. What is lacking is a focussed dialogue by the elite. This is a situation that is easily rectified by a joint conference organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Institute of International Affairs and the office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

Nigeria should now initiate consultations with all the countries bordering the South Atlantic Ocean towards establishing the South Atlantic Treaty Organisation to keep away all the superpowers in the New World Order.

Even though the call to increase membership of the Security Council of the United Nations is decades old, the recent call by the President of Turkey to overhaul the United Nations is one that Nigeria should entertain and in consultation with medium-power countries examine the details.

Nigeria should seek to table a detailed blue-print on the paradigm of a new world order to enhance participation by the medium-powers.

Nigeria is not going to be a recognised player in the New World Order unless its ideas and acts are backed by a military status. Right now, Nigeria with a military budget of $2billion is ranked in terms of capability as 35^th in the world with 223000 personnel. Pakistan on the other hand is ranked no. 10 with a budget of $10.3billion, 654,000 personnel, 2200 tanks, 582 aircraft. Nigeria knows what to do.

 

Professor A. Bolaji Akinyemi, a political scientist and diplomat,  is former  Minister of External Affairs