Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has cautioned sub-national entities, such as state governments, against engaging in foreign or international negotiations without the involvement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Federal Government.
This warning comes in the wake of a legal dispute involving a Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment, which has led to the seizure of three Nigerian government jets by a French court. The court ruling allows the company to use Nigeria’s jets at the Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse international airports as security for its claim of €74,459,221.
Ambassador Tuggar emphasized that foreign negotiations conducted by states or other sub-national actors without proper coordination with the federal authorities can lead to complications, such as the current situation with the seized jets. He urged all state actors to ensure that any international agreements or negotiations are carried out with the full involvement of the Federal Government to avoid such disputes and protect Nigeria’s interests on the global stage.
He said; “Yes, the Attorney General and I are working on it both diplomatically and then from a legal perspective as well to ensure that this issue is resolved. This is part of the problem when sub-national actors like state governments take it upon themselves to go into agreements, go into international arrangements, without recourse to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without recourse to the federal government, and then when it goes awry, we are left with the problem to deal with.
“That is why it is always important that such arrangements should be registered with the mission there, with the embassy, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and with the federal government.
“This is something that Ogun state, under a different administration, not this governor, entered into that we’re not aware of. All we know is that they’re going after Nigerian assets.
“That’s why, really, foreign or international negotiations are not the purview of sub-national actors. You should always have those that are experienced in such an area that have the necessary skills and the necessary training to negotiate these sorts of agreements.”
