Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) for what he called Nigeria’s inadequate diplomatic reaction to the recent threat made by US President Donald Trump.
Olawepo-Hashim stated on Arise Television’s Prime Time program on Wednesday that the Nigerian government’s reaction, which he claimed showed a lack of successful diplomatic engagement, startled him more than Trump’s remarks.
He pointed out that Nigeria has been without a fully operational ambassador in Washington for a considerable amount of time and criticized the APC-led government for failing to maintain appropriate diplomatic relations.
“I am not surprised by President Donald Trump’s warning. The Nigerian government’s reaction is shocking to me. Nigeria does not have a functional ambassador in the US, despite years of hearings on these matters in the US Senate. “So, how do you tell your story in a serious way?” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim called such actions “funny” and “unprofessional,” accusing the government of favoring unofficial routes above formal diplomatic frameworks.
When there exist institutional communication structures in international relations, they prefer back channels. A chargé d’affaires is not the same as your ambassador, who serves as your president in a foreign country. He continued, “These institutions, like bilateral or bi-national commissions, have been immobilized for years.”
He noted that negligence had also led to a decline in diplomatic relations between Nigeria and its neighbors, especially the Niger Republic.
He claims that Nigeria’s long-standing standing as a stabilizing power in West Africa has been damaged by the paralysis of these official entities.
“The APC government has followed a careless and illogical foreign policy, especially under President Tinubu. We have previously been forced to the verge of a foreign conflict. Tinubu’s threat of war with the Niger Republic was the first. “That was the first mistake in foreign policy,” he stated.
