Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama has revealed that Nigeria is to review her foreign policy in order to reflect current realities.
He made the disclosure while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the 7th virtual Federal Executive Council meeting, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the review would be done during an all Nigerian stakeholders meeting being planned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“With regards to changing the foreign policy direction of the country, we need to have an all Nigerian meeting of stakeholders to look at our foreign policy review it, and to see in which direction it should be going.
“So, we have started in that process of organising this. We have held some seminars and we are putting in place the mechanism for doing that. It will be very inclusive because we are inviting all stakeholders to get their inputs,” he said.
The Minister said the all important stakeholders meeting is necessary, because its been a while since the country reviewed its foreign policy direction.
Onyeama, who gave cabinet the score card of his ministry in past one year, said the Foreign Affairs Ministry uses its Memorandums of Understanding at the bilateral level with many countries to enhance investments in Nigeria as well as create jobs.
Meanwhile, Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, George Akume has said that plans to create 774 cottage industries across across has gone far.
He said the move is in line with the current administration’s policy of moving 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
“We are looking at the possibility of creating 774 cottage industries in our Local Governments, that means every Local Government will have one industry and this has gone very far.
“This is based on the industrial corridors and that means that where a Local Government is producing for instance Beni seed, where they could have a facility where the Beni Seed is cleaned and it is also dishoard for exportation in order to get foreign exchange,” he said.
Akume also said his ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture to generate employment for the youth, through the utilisation of dams to boost irrigation and power generation.
His ministry also gave a scorecard of its performance.