Nigeria as destiny have it, is the most populous Black Country in the world, the richest country in Africa, fourth largest supplier of of global LNG needs, one of the major oil deposits in the world, good neighbour to the largest world deposit of uranium above all, a new leadership that is committed to change Nigeria into a model to Africa under Muhammadu Buhari, a former Head of state and retired General. Foreign policy today is essentially about national Development. Culture, interpersonal relations, educational programmes and the old standing values in economics, trade, security and state relations combine to make a dynamic and successful foreign policy.
Nigeria’s foreign policy is resuming its celebrated ability to carry and integrate its immediate environment into its over all principles and objectives. Known as Afrocentricism, a derivation from Northedge’s concentric circle where state concentration should be on its immediate environment firstly. The last 16 years of Nigeria’s foreign policy was neglect of this, a policy shift that is wrongly put in the new constitution. The President is all out to demonstrate the significance of our neighbours to our survival as the various transborder crimes and insecurity, especially Boko Haram has leapt the country and subregion into.Pscho cultural factors, geopolitical transfusion and strategic plans have all combine to define and impose the afrocentric imperatives on Nigeria’s foreign policy interests
Mali is a strategic country Nigeria needs to take seriously. Mali according to US Government hosts west African terrorist network known as Ansarus Sunnah and other radical Islamic groupings that are broadly known as AQIM and MUJAO . Reports in 2013 and early 2014 insisted that Boko Haram members did receive training in Mali. These are events that occurred inspite of massive US troops that pitched there camps in Bamako just about a year after 9/11. With the terror attacks that destroyed the twin towers and even attempted same on pentagon, US Government launched it long waiting ambitious military project in Africa in 2002, known as US-AFRICA COMMAND {africom}Bamako hosted Pan Sahelian counter terrorism initiatives that later turned to Pan sahelian counter terrorism partnership. It was fully supported congress programme that consumed millions of Dollars in training the militaries of Mali, Chad, Niger and Mauritania in all aspects of counter terrorism war that subsequently expanded to all ECOWAS countries till 2011. In an ironic twist, after a decade of this huge military undertaking, by 2012, the terrorists that were to have been eliminated not only attacked Mali but they almost seceded about half of the country. As the events will have their sequence in what may be seen as {deliberately} premeditated, France coordinate EU, AU, NATO and the smaller ECOWAS troops to fight Boko haram, Bamako therefore became an International battle spot on counterterrorism.A project that is still lingering in this ‘poor’ subregional state.
The meeting between French and Nigerian President in Paris on the 14th of May 2015 seem to be opening a new chapter in the Global War on Terror {GWOT} when the host called for joint fight against ISIL as is the same with BH. ISIL for now is not, cannot be a Nigerian problem.Nigeria is fighting BH and that is what should be. A call on Nigeria to join any fight on ISIL would amount to diversion and misappropriation of national energy.
In geostrategic terms, Mali is an exit from and entry point to west Africa from north Africa and the wider medittarenean , a common border with Uranium rich Niger and Atlantic ocean after Mauritania. Mali is known as one of the world Gold deposit. In cultural terms,it was an International centre of knowledge and scholarship. An intellectual fountain whose influence on the 19th century revolutionary scholar , Sheikh Usman Danfodio is invaluable.So reflective and transformative was intellectual activities in Mali to have made 19th century west Africa the place that witnessed revolutionary tides more than any other place in the world .According to the famous founder of modern sociology, historian and political scientist, Ibn Khaldun,it was a well known centre of learning and scholarship to have housed  the celebrated University of Sankore in Timbuktu , Gao and Djenne as cities synonymous with knowledge. It has produced jurists, scholars. Administrators, Bankers and Financial authorities that made Governance and Administration epitome of Good Governance in precolonial Africa. As of today, Niger republic and Northern Nigeria owe their existence to these historical dynamics.  Mali, {13th-15th Century} the predecessor to modern Mali, was that an important trade Centre that directly linked western Africa to today’s north Africa and Europe. Salt that serves as dietary supplement and preservative among many functions is another article of eminent commercial significance. Mansa Kankan Musa ,one of its most fêted frontrunners launched the empire into Arab and Islamic world in the 13th century. At a point it was the second largest empire in the world after Mongolia in today’s Central Asia. Its rich Architectural acumen remains iconic in West African building industry till today. Dying and weaving of clothes such as Brocade remains major feature in Malian treasuries. Mali as it makes a pivotal stand in ECOWAS, is a replica of its centrality to transaharan trade whose importance in the economic, military and sociocultural integration of west Africa is indispensable.
The well learned and deeply rooted Kabara scholars and family in modern Kano have their root in Mali and so many families as well that can be traced there. There are many Malians in Nigeria as business communities, wives and members of the wider transaharan communities.
Nigeria, cannot, shouldn’t afford to down play Mali.In geosecurity and politico military spaces, fighting Boko haram should be seen to cut acroos the entire western Africa, north Africa and the Centre.The conflict resolution and peace making efforts ECOWAS led Nigeria has done in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Bissau  remains spectacularly International model to be adopted especially by central African states and for wider  African security and political stability framework. The Tuareg rebels in Mali, southern Algeria and across northern part of west Africa remain critical flash points to Nigeria’s commitment to regional security. The potency for this rebellion to expand and metamorphose calls for decisive Nigeria. So also the discontented Toubu tribes in southern Libya , northern Chad and North eastern Niger constitute destabilizing factors and persistent insecurity and disorder in the Sahara and west Africa  that demands President Muhammadu Buhari to be in Mali as part of his wider regional friendship and renewed Afrocentricism.This is almost necessary in line with the important visit done to Niger, Benin, Cameroun and Ghana. Mali should be our next place of call. Direct flight from Abuja to Bamako is about 40 mins. An alley Nigeria must take closely decisively. A subtle agenda for Buhari’s visit to France as well.
Well-meaning note is Mali’s predecessor, Ghana, both as an empire{ } that was {9th-13th century} and modern nation state .Has importance has been aptly captured by the President’s visit on the Monday of 7th September 2015. A country of about 25 million people, colonized by same Britain, a stone throw from Nigeria, directly linked to Nigeria by Gulf of Guinea combine to sharpened the transaharan relationships as modernized in today’s ECOWAS. Ghana,’ Land of Gold’ Abu Ubayd Al Bakri,the renowned Andalusian scholar and Geographer, noted, holds sophisticated methods of administration and taxation, large armies and a monopoly over notoriously well concealed Goldmines. The role of Kumbi saleh in connecting Gao. Agades and ,Katsina in exchange of Gold or salt for kola nut, slaves or cowrie laid the foundation for the common currency Accra and Abuja are expected to establish across the western Africa.  The centuries known cluster that serves as transit camps for traders from Hausa land (Zango)on the transaharan routes that still exist in modern Ghana continue to be meltingpot, an aggregate micro layer of Nigerian influence across west Africa and beyond. Rich values and traditions of Nigerians who settled in Ghana have come to position themselves permanently in Ghanaian national process. What an important psychocultural factor for regional integration and development. Nigeria needs these countries as they need it as well. Ghana ,is presently about 900 km away from its older location that today included Mauritania, South east Mali and Northern Senegal.
Mali’s successor, anciently known as Songhai Empire, for purposes of psycho cultural integration, geopolitical and economic cooperation and dynamism needed to achieve a truly African union and respective regional integration, was a cover to what he have of Ghana and Mali . Songhai was a broader and wider space that has every lesson for Nigeria to learn as not only a regional power but leader of Africa, and a world power in a sense, considering it as largest black race with Abuja as capital. Leo Africanus, the Moroccon scholar, has well described the integration processes Ghana and Mali undergone to produce Songhai that run in near simultaneity with last parts of Kanem Borno empire ,the Songhai the inspired the emergence of Sokoto caliphate, a state that captured parts of then Oyo empire, Benin Kingdom, parts of Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Benin, Songhai empire has everything to lend Nigeria in driving the belated integration ECOWAS sets to pursue. Abuja Government, with its new leadership has to rework with deeper sense of urgency and commitment to make ECOWAS a truly economic umbrella capable enough to check insecurity and other transborder criminal activities across the subregion and beyond. With personal moral excellence known with President Buhari, values that make him the most popular, now cherished and respected leader in Africa, transcending them into every Nigeria are part of the imperatives to drive Nigeria into the regional and continental leadership.
A critical lever in this respect is Nigeria’s leadership of Africa Development Bank, Peace, Security and Political Affairs commissions of both ECOWAS and AU,dospositions Abuja Government need to understand well and properly coordinate them to have its proper roles in Africa and the world at large.
