The Qatari Note Verbal: Nigeria’s Latest Diplomatic Debacle

By Frank Nweke II

As a Nigerian, I find the correspondence between the embassy of Qatar in Nigeria and Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently circulating online, embarrassing. It is an insult to our nation.

Relevant authorities should investigate the source and intent of this leak and take steps to ensure that it does not happen again.

There is no contesting that our government has a responsibility to manage our national affairs with savvy, reflecting deep knowledge and understanding of diplomatic protocols and norms, it is, however, impolitic for any nation to disrespect a purportedly ‘friendly’ nation through its communication, or any other channel for that matter, in the way that Qatar has done, however, muted the attempt.

I call on Nigerians who think that this act of ridicule against our nation is justified and worthy of celebration to have a rethink. It is not. It is indeed very disrespectful to our nation and people.

Being outside the government, we may never know the full facts, but the tone and use of language in the circulating document, however factual, is most discourteous and calculated to undermine Nigeria’s image.

Every part of our government is important for the efficient functioning of the whole, however, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs like that of other countries is a critical Ministry, especially because it is front-facing, with the responsibility to shape and lead our engagement with the world.

Nations use their Foreign Service Ministry to project hard and soft power, economic development, their people and their cultures. It is for this reason that most nations make significant investments and spare no expense in training members of their diplomatic service.

Once upon a time, the Nigerian nation and her diplomats were highly revered in the world for the quality of their minds and the overall impact of Nigeria’s foreign policy in global affairs.

Their well-informed policy thrusts were the basis of Nigeria’s successes at various times in the past in South Africa, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Burkina Faso and São Tomé and Principe to name a few; and in many peace negotiations and peacekeeping efforts around the world.

The Foreign Service Academy and the Nigeria Institute for International Affairs, and similar elite institutions abroad, were created to meet the training needs of our diplomats and also carry on research on contemporary issues in Africa and the world. It was the outcome of various research and the thought leadership provided by leading diplomats and scholars in these institutions that underpinned Nigeria’s foreign policy which though focused on Africa helped Nigeria project considerable power in global affairs.

This Note Verbale incident, in addition to a series of others before now which portray our country in a poor light, is one too many. There is a saying in my Igbo dialect which translates to ‘If an old woman falls more than once, it is usually advised to count the number of items in the basket she is carrying on her head’.

High-level engagements between Nigeria’s Sovereign and others are so important that there should be no room for errors.

The reason or basis for meeting or visiting must be clear and free of ambiguity. The agenda must be agreed upon and finalised, usually after extensive consultations between officials of both countries. Unless there is a crisis, requiring urgent meetings, State visits are not vacations. They are sometimes planned years in advance and governments must prepare to make the best of the visit to enhance trade, bilateral and other relations in education, culture, science and technology, depending on a country’s interests. The nature of the meeting will also determine the composition and membership of the delegation. An important role for Nigeria’s representatives in potential host countries is a keen understanding of the cultural norms and gestures with detailed briefing provided to guide Mr President. That is how detailed the planning must be.

Communication of the intent, purpose, resolutions and outcomes of a visit or meeting is critical; it must be factual and verifiable at every stage, issued at the appropriate level, only, by an authorised official.

It is not the duty of your host to make your country look good by keeping mute if out of excitement, inexperience or incompetence, your officials mis-state resolutions reached at meetings.

Competent officials of host countries are accountable to their principals and citizens and will issue their own statements based on their own understanding of what transpired at a meeting between two or more sovereigns. This was the case when President Tinubu visited the United Arab Emirates some months ago. Such slips, however Freudian, have the potential to undermine otherwise important gains from high-level meetings and engender a crisis of confidence.

With the state of our economy and the considerable security challenges Nigeria is faced with at this time, every trip outside the country must be one that will bring obvious benefits to our troubled economy.

The offensive note verbale from the Qataris is tantamount to someone accepting your request to visit his or her home while telling you at the same time that they won’t be home. If the Qatari Minister for Trade and indeed the Qatari business community and economic actors will otherwise be engaged with others on matters of similar interest to ours at the time of Mr President’s visit and communicate in the way that they have done, that in itself is a strong message of Nigeria’s standing with the government and people of Qatar. Actions are also important tools of diplomacy.

I anticipate a serious review of this situation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and his offer of dispassionate advice to Mr President to postpone this visit to enable proper planning in order for Nigeria to obtain the best outcomes from the visit, at a future date.

I must, however, call on our government to get its acts together. The discourtesy and disrespect to our government and citizens around the world is on account of the perception of our country at this time, as weak, disorganized, and corrupt.

Respect can neither be conjured nor decreed. It can only be earned, especially in the international arena through hard work – good governance at home, a strong economy and people-centred development, a secure and stable polity, respect for human rights and the rule of law, a manifest abhorrence for corruption and consistent respect for international laws and fulfilment of legitimate international obligations.

As we secure our country and rebuild our economy, perception of Nigeria’s circumstances will change based on reality, countries will naturally become more circumspect in their engagement with our government and respect for our passport and our people will grow.

Nweke II is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Lagos Business School and member, Nigeria’s Federal Cabinet (2003-2007)