UI’s 545th inaugural lecture: Pogoson urges Tinubu to review foreign policy amid global shifts

Professor Aituaje Irene Pogoson, a scholar at the University of Ibadan (UI), has emphasised the pressing need for a more coherent elucidation of President Bola Tinubu’s 4-D renewed foreign policy doctrine.

This assertion was made during her delivery of the university’s 545th inaugural lecture entitled “The World in Transition: Understanding Power in the International System.”

Addressing a diverse audience including prominent academics and former Vice-Chancellors, Professor Pogoson underscored the imperative for Nigeria to confront a myriad of socio-economic and political challenges to assert its position in the evolving global landscape.

The lecture, marking the 14th in the series for the 2022/2023 academic session and the 11th inaugural lecture from the Department of Political Science, highlighted the urgency for Nigeria to recalibrate its foreign policy strategy.

Speaking passionately, Professor Pogoson, the first female lecturer and Head of the Department of Political Science at the university, lamented Nigeria’s current positioning within the global order, stressing the need for the country to maintain respect and relevance internationally.

She emphasised the necessity for Nigeria to re-strategize and re-formulate its foreign policy framework to effectively address both internal and external dynamics.

In analysing President Tinubu’s administration’s efforts towards repositioning Nigeria on the global stage, Professor Pogoson acknowledged the unveiling of ‘Nigeria’s 4-D Renewed Foreign Policy Doctrine,’ comprising Democracy, Demography, Development, and Diaspora.

However, she urged for a clearer articulation of this doctrine, advocating for concrete policies and actions to be outlined.

This marked Professor Pogoson’s third public lecture at the university, following her previous engagements addressing issues ranging from terrorism and national security to global power shifts.