The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, yesterday reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a pragmatic, interest-driven foreign policy, anchored on economic growth, job creation, and strategic global partnerships.

A statement by his media office quoted him as saying during a high-level panel entitled “BRICS, GCC and evolving relations for a Changing Global Order” at the Doha Forum 2025.

Tuggar said: “Nigeria remains committed to building partnerships based on mutual respect, shared interests, and tangible economic outcomes that directly benefit its people.”

He explained that Nigeria’s foreign policy under President Bola Tinubu was shaped by the country’s demographic realities and development priorities.

This, according to him, with a population of no fewer than 230 million people mostly young people, Nigeria must urgently expand employment opportunities, grow its middle class, and attract sustained investment.

He reiterated Nigeria’s engagement with platforms such as BRICS and the G20 is not driven by ideological alignment with any bloc, but by national interest.

“Nigeria is deliberately avoiding rigid East–West divisions and instead pursuing balanced relationships with all partners in a rapidly changing multipolar world,” he said.

He cautioned against the importation of external geopolitical rivalries into Africa, stressing the need to safeguard regional stability and prevent proxy competition that could undermine peace and development.