Grassroots Development Key to Nigeria’s Global Image — Enikanolaiye

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has said that effective governance and development at the grassroots are essential to Nigeria’s foreign policy and international image.

Enikanolaiye stated this in Abuja while delivering a goodwill message at the maiden National Conference of the 774 Local Government Chairmen and Chairmen of Traditional Rulers’ Councils, held at the State House Banquet Hall.

The conference, organised by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, was themed: “Cascading President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to the Grassroots.”

The minister said Nigeria’s domestic governance directly influences the country’s foreign policy and relations with other nations.

“For us in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we believe that every aspect of our government policy at home has implications for foreign policy and Nigeria’s international relations,” he said.

Enikanolaiye added that foreign policy also serves as a projection of domestic policy, making grassroots development and mobilisation important to Nigeria’s international engagement.

He advocated inclusive governance driven from the grassroots, rather than a system imposed from the top, while describing traditional rulers as important stakeholders in the governance structure.

The minister also commended President Tinubu for supporting the conference and the inclusion of local governments and traditional rulers in the ongoing constitutional amendment process.

Four Ds and grassroots development

Speaking within the framework of Tinubu’s foreign policy doctrine of Democracy, Development, Demography and Diaspora, Enikanolaiye said the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda would ultimately be reflected at the local level.

He identified Nigeria’s youthful population across the 774 local government areas as a significant national resource, stressing the need to empower local governments to translate demographic strength into economic opportunities.

On development, he said achieving a $1 trillion economy would require economically viable local government areas capable of contributing meaningfully to national production.

He cited agriculture, mineral resources and major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry highways, as areas with potential to drive economic growth and attract foreign direct investment.

According to him, strengthening local governments and traditional institutions would also reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to democratic governance from the grassroots.

He further said a secure and economically productive Nigeria would create greater incentives for Nigerians in the Diaspora to invest at home and contribute to a positive image of the country abroad.

FG to strengthen investment partnerships

Enikanolaiye disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would deepen the foreign-policy component of grassroots development by facilitating investment matchmaking through Nigeria’s 110 diplomatic missions worldwide.

He said the ministry would also strengthen partnerships with international allies while leveraging information and community-level intelligence from traditional rulers to support national security.

In a goodwill message, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Olumuyiwa Enitan Abel, represented by Dr. Vitalis Obi, described local governments as the closest level of government to the people and critical to effective service delivery.

He also acknowledged the contribution of traditional rulers to peacebuilding and reaffirmed the commitment of the civil service to accountability and measurable results.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Dr. Onwusoro Maduka Ihemelandu, identified inadequate and untimely data on government interventions at the local government level as a challenge.

He disclosed that the ministry had developed an E-Tracking Framework to monitor government projects across local government areas, including their location, value, implementation timeline and verification status.

By Sophina Ovuike, Abuja 

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