•Says  world must show respect in trade with Nigeria, other African nations 

•Denies Christian persecution claims

•Reiterates Nigeria will not accept deportees from US 

•Says tariffs imposed by US do not markedly harm the country

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, yesterday maintained that President Bola Tinubu is pursuing  Nigeria’s strategic autonomy amid tariffs imposed by the United States as well as the country’s relationship with China.

Besides, the minister noted that rich countries must show respect to Africa in their dealings with the continent, insisting that they should not approach trade with Africa as a game of ‘Minecraft’.

Speaking at the Reuters NEXT Gulf summit in Abu Dhabi, Tuggar stated that the relationship should be based on mutual respect and the need for Africa to develop, stressing that the recent tariff increase by the US did not markedly impact the country.

“Sometimes it’s like the game Minecraft: There’s oil, there’s gas, there’s critical minerals, rare earths. We put a bit of this, we invest in this. No, that’s not the way it goes. The engagement should be based on mutual respect, based on shared interests and based on the fact that Africa needs to develop. If it doesn’t develop, we continue to deal with irregular migration, with all these other challenges,” he argued.

The minister stated that Nigeria remains a major power in Africa, highlighting the country’s huge internal market with a population of 230 million, expected to grow to 400 million by 2050, and its relationships with other major trading partners such as China, India and Brazil.

Besides, he dismissed claims that President Donald Trump does not care about Africa, but stressed that the country continues to absorb the effect of the recent tariffs by the Trump administration as it extends trade with other countries.

“ We have the right and the basis to engage with as many countries as possible to trade and our relationships are not based on ideological considerations, they’re based on interests, beginning with our national interests.

“So we trade with the U.S., we trade with China, we trade with Brazil, we trade with India and our focus is not necessarily on one axis or the other, especially in a multipolar world,” he argued.

Tuggar also referred to a recent surge in claims of a “Christian genocide” circulating online and amplified by some U.S. media figures, dismissing them as false.

“One of our major challenges at the moment is the false narratives that are being created about Nigeria, this issue of religious persecution, Christians are being persecuted, which couldn’t be further from the truth, and it’s something that I think the investors need to come and see for themselves,” he said.

The engagement with the West, he said, should be based on mutual respect,  shared interests and based on the fact that Africa needs to develop. The foreign minister also said there were no plans to accept deportees from the US, noting that Nigeria has gone beyond the stage.

“ I think that ship has sailed. We made our point and I believe it’s no longer on the discussion table. We continue to enjoy a good relationship with the United States. We do not see the need to take in other nationals under duress from any country because we already have a population, like I said, of 230 million people.

“So we’re not short of people and we, our focus is, as we move closer to becoming 400 million population, which we will be in the next 25 years, to train our workforce to tackle the issue of poverty, of unemployment, so that we have the right dependency ratio that would be able to sustain us as we move into the future.

“So there are lots of opportunities. We can partner with all comers to tackle our challenges as well as to provide the opportunities for those that are working with us. It’s a really striking figure and as one gets older, you realise 25 years is a much shorter time than you originally might imagine”, he stated.

On job creation, the minister explained that the first thing is for Nigeria to be able to feed itself,  and  will be creating lots of jobs as it works towards expanding agriculture and manufacturing and import substitution.

Tuggar said that there has to be a mindset change by the world on how they interact with Africa, stressing that the continent has come of age.

“As I said earlier there’s a tendency to take a Minecraft approach to Africa. It’s not a game and we are not infants. We know what is good for us, what’s in our interest so we don’t need to be protected.

“We can protect ourselves when we’re dealing with China. China’s initiative is good for Africa. It is something that is already benefiting countries like Nigeria, the linkages, and we are looking towards achieving similar results with Europe, with the global gateway initiative, and of course other partners like the US, India, Brazil,” he stressed.

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