Former Nigerian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan, Prof. Yisa Gana, speaks with DARE AKOGUN on Nigeria’s foreign policy, the rising hostility towards Nigerians in some African countries, including South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire, and why he believes Nigerians should demand a change in leadership in 2027
Given your experience as a former ambassador, what is your assessment of Nigeria’s current foreign policy, especially amid growing reports of Nigerians facing deportation and xenophobic attacks in countries like South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire?
It is a shame, and a national embarrassment that a country as richly endowed as Nigeria has reached a stage where its citizens are desperate to leave for countries that are far less endowed in terms of natural and human resources.
When I served as Nigeria’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan, I represented the President and the Federal Republic of Nigeria with full diplomatic authority. I understand what diplomacy means and what a country’s image represents internationally. Today, what we are witnessing is a direct reflection of domestic failures. The issue is not simply that countries like South Africa, Morocco or even Libya are deporting Nigerians or treating them poorly. The real issue is why Nigerians are leaving their country in such large numbers in the first place.
