Nigeria opposes move to split AU’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace, Security

By Egena Sunday Ode

The Nigerian government has backed the move to reform the African Union, making the continental body more vibrant, viable, and relevant to the needs of member states in the face of rapidly changing global political and economic realities.

President Bola Tinubu, whose statement was delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, during the consideration and deliberation on the AU reforms report, commended his Rwanda and Kenya counterparts, Paul Kagame and Williams Ruto, for the reform proposals.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated this in a statement on Sunday.

President Tinubu acknowledged the recommendations outlined in the draft decision on the AU reform and said the Nigerian government supports the proposal to establish a Heads of State and Government oversight Committee for the AU Reforms under President Ruto’s leadership, the statement said.

The Nigerian government also endorsed the proposal that the agenda of the AU Summit feature no more than three strategic items.

In the intervention delivered by Ambassador Tuggar, President Tinubu rejected the proposal to create a new department out of the existing Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security. Nigerian diplomat, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, heads the department. He was re-elected to another term at the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government, which ended Sunday.

“We do not support the proposal to reconfigure the Department of Political Affairs Peace and Security (PAPS) as the reconfiguration of the PAPS Department in the way currently suggested will only lead us to incur more expenditure needlessly.

“We already have a SOD under the Directorate of PAPS. We cannot have a Peace Support Operations Directorate independent of the Directorate of Political Affairs, Peace and Security. We believe any attempt to create another department from the existing one will destabilise the AU political affairs and peace and security process. It is also important that issues that were never brought to the attention of Member States are not part of the reform,” President Tinubu said.

On the need for inclusiveness and transparency as an integral part of the reform of the AU system, President Tinubu noted that the continental organisation should instead focus on implementing adopted policies and programmes.

“It is in this connection that Nigeria wishes to reiterate that instead of seeking to reach consensus on all fronts of our reform at one sweep, we should concentrate on areas where we have already reached consensus. There is no harm in carrying out reform in phases. It would be an error to continue seeking consultation on all fronts in perpetuity,” President Tinubu emphasised.