By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — Former presidential candidate, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has blamed Nigeria’s escalating diplomatic row with the United States on what he described as the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government’s poor and self-serving foreign policy, warning that the country’s international image is deteriorating under President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement personally signed by him, Olawepo-Hashim said the controversy between both countries over alleged Christian genocide has further exposed the collapse of Nigeria’s foreign policy and diplomatic institutions.
According to him, “The responsibility for the diplomatic crisis lies squarely with the inept and corrupt administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is himself under pressure from his political base.”
He lamented that Nigeria has become increasingly isolated on the global stage due to what he called the APC’s “Janjaweed foreign policy,” which, he alleged, places personal, political, and financial interests above national security and international credibility.
“It is deeply troubling that, as we speak, Nigeria does not have ambassadors in many key countries. The bi-national and bilateral commissions established to address pressing concerns on security and trade have collapsed for over a decade,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim accused the ruling party of weakening Nigeria’s diplomatic institutions and replacing them with unqualified and questionable actors pursuing dubious agendas, describing such behaviour as a disgrace to the nation.
Recalling Nigeria’s past reputation as a stabilising force in Africa, he noted that the country once played decisive roles in restoring peace to West Africa through ECOMOG and contributed significantly to peacekeeping missions in Congo, Darfur, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
“Our current predicament is both tragic and disgraceful,” he lamented, describing the government’s foreign policy failures as a painful departure from Nigeria’s legacy as a continental leader.
He also criticised attempts by some government officials to downplay reports of targeted killings in some parts of the country, insisting that such claims are fundamentally flawed.
“Which categories of Nigerians need to die in the staggering numbers we see before we acknowledge the evidence of complicity and failure to protect citizens?” he queried.
Olawepo-Hashim alleged that serious human rights abuses are being carried out daily by supporters of the ruling APC while the government looks the other way.
“These threats are directed at an ethnic group that predominantly practises one faith. Such acts cannot be dismissed as internal affairs when Nigeria is a signatory to many international human rights conventions,” he said.
He further cautioned that open threats by party loyalists against perceived opposition supporters ahead of the 2027 elections could constitute international crimes under the Rome Statute, which Nigeria has domesticated.
“These are grave offences under international law,” he stressed. Olawepo-Hashim called for an urgent national dialogue to chart a new post-Tinubu national security and foreign policy direction.
“Genuine patriots must begin consultations to rebuild a framework that ensures peace, stability, and the preservation of Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“If the American initiative has become a catalyst for this necessary national reawakening, then it is a welcome development,” he added.
The post Nigeria’s reputation suffering under APC’s ‘Janjaweed Diplomacy’ — Olawepo-Hashim appeared first on Vanguard News.
