The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has cautioned against sub-national entities, such as states, entering foreign or international agreements without involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Federal Government.
His comments come in the wake of a dispute with a Chinese company that led to the seizure of three Nigerian government jets by a French court.
The court had ruled in favour of Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment, allowing the company to use Nigeria’s jets at Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse international airports as “security for its claim of EUR 74,459,221.”
Tuggar emphasised the collaborative efforts to resolve the situation, stating, “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.”
He highlighted the dangers of states independently entering into international agreements, noting, “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.”
Tuggar further stressed the importance of proper channels in such negotiations, saying, “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.”
He clarified that the current dispute stems from an agreement entered into by Ogun State under a previous administration.
“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,” he said.
Tuggar concluded by warning that international negotiations should not be handled by states alone.
“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,” the Minister insisted.
