Boundaries Between Nigeria, Neighbours Artificial- Gambari

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Muhammadu Buhari, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, has described boundaries between Nigeria and her neighbours as artificial.

Speaking at a reception organised in honour of two principal officers of the President recently honoured by the President of Niger, Mohammed Bazoum, Gambari said Buhari’s foreign policy was concentric.

Those Presidential aides upon whom the Nigerien highest honour were recently conferred were the State Chief of Protocol (SCOP), Lawal Kazaure and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Household and Domestic Affairs, Sarki Abba

Gambari stated that countries sharing borders with Nigeria, including Cameroon, Benin Republic, Chad and Niger Republic, share same interests and cultural affinities which bind them together.

He said “All these boundaries are very much artificial. The Europeans in Congress of Berlin just took a piece of paper and were drawing lines across places where they have never been; they never intended to be, separated people who should be united and uniting people, perhaps, who should be separated.

“But the leaders of Africa decided that it’s wise to keep those boundaries artificial as they may be, because to change them other than peacefully, will be creating even more problems than they can solve. But in any case, whether by those lines, whether artificial or not, Niger/Nigeria share common boundaries, common interests, common concerns their families across the borders.”

While speaking on Buhari’s foreign policy, Gambari said, “in his (Buhari’s) earlier incarnation, as Head of State, the defining feature of his policies was concentric circle of Nigerian foreign policy.

“That our interests, our efforts, will be concentrated on promoting Nigeria’s interests in concentric circles at the epicenter; the defense of Nigeria’s integrity, the prosperity, the welfare of its people. But next is the neighboring countries, then West Africa, then Africa, and then the rest of the world. And he has proved the continuity of Nigeria foreign policy in this sense by the fact that the first countries he visited after being sworn in, were the neighboring countries.”

State House Permanent Secretary, Tijjani Umar, while congratulating the awardees said the challenge of COVID-19, climate change and lately, the Russian/Ukraine war have impacted the population negatively adding that it has become important for countries to watch each other’s back.

He noted that the honour conferred on the Presidential aides has further strengthened the between Nigeria and Niger Republic.