Foreign Policy Begins At Grassroots, Enikanolaiye Tells Local Government Chairmen

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has said Nigeria’s global standing is closely linked to the quality of governance and development at the grassroots.

Enikanolaiye stated this on Tuesday in Abuja while delivering a goodwill message at the 2026 maiden National Conference of the 774 Local Government Chairmen and Chairmen of Traditional Rulers’ Councils, held at the State House Banquet Hall.

The conference, convened by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, was themed, “Cascading President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to the Grassroots.”

The minister said policies and developments within Nigeria have direct implications for the country’s foreign relations and international image, stressing that foreign policy should not be viewed separately from domestic governance.

“For us in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we believe that every aspect of our government policy at home has implications for foreign policy and Nigeria’s international relations,” Enikanolaiye said.

He added that grassroots development and mobilisation were therefore central to the country’s foreign policy objectives, noting that a stable and prosperous Nigeria would strengthen its ability to attract investment, engage the diaspora and project a positive image internationally.

The minister advocated inclusive, bottom-up governance, describing traditional rulers as an important component of Nigeria’s governance architecture.

He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the conference and for recognising the roles of local government authorities and traditional rulers in the ongoing constitutional amendment process.

Linking his remarks to the President’s 4-D foreign policy doctrine of Democracy, Development, Demography and Diaspora, Enikanolaiye said the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda would ultimately be measured at the grassroots.

On demography, he described Nigeria’s youthful population across the 774 local government areas as a major national asset, urging greater investment in local governments to transform the country’s population advantage into economic strength.

On development, the minister said Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy would require productive and economically viable local governments.

He cited the country’s agricultural potential, mineral resources and major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry highways, as areas that could contribute to economic growth and attract foreign direct investment when supported by stability at the grassroots.

On democracy, Enikanolaiye said empowering local governments and traditional institutions would demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to participatory, bottom-up governance.

He also linked grassroots development to diaspora engagement, arguing that Nigerians abroad would be more confident about investing in and promoting the country when they see a secure and productive environment at home.

The minister said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would support these objectives through investment matchmaking by Nigeria’s 110 diplomatic missions abroad, partnerships with Nigeria’s international partners and the use of community-level intelligence from traditional institutions to support national security.

Also speaking, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Olumuyiwa Enitan Abel, represented by Dr Vitalis Obi, said local governments remained the closest level of government to citizens and were therefore central to effective service delivery.

He also described traditional rulers as important partners in peacebuilding and reaffirmed the commitment of the civil service to accountability and measurable results.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Dr Onwusoro Maduka Ihemelandu, said the government faced challenges in obtaining timely and verifiable data on interventions at the local government level.

He disclosed that the ministry had developed an E-Tracking Framework to monitor government projects by location, value, timeline and verification status.

The conference brought together local government chairmen and traditional rulers’ council chairmen from across the country to discuss ways of strengthening grassroots governance and ensuring that the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda translates into measurable development at the local level.