 Welcome to the Advocate, the programme that keeps you educated and informed on current events around you. I will be talking about multilateral relations, the lifeblood of a country's survival. Viktor Onyikere will be discussing about NYC at 50 and Stephen Agiode will be giving us lessons from Sudan as usual. Expect interesting conversations, we will be back after this break. Multilateral relations, the lifeblood of a country's survival. Adofitla On said, when diplomacy ends, war begins. On the other hand, Farid Zakaria, CNN International correspondent said, foreign policy is a matter of costs and benefits, not theology. Nigeria has always been a prominent figure in African politics, forming alliances with various countries and international organizations to promote peace and stability in the continent. However, the ongoing crisis in Sudan has revealed the need for Nigeria to strengthen its multilateral relationships to better protect its citizens in diaspora. Many Nigerians are currently stuck in Sudan facing various challenges such as lack of access to basic necessities like food, shelter and healthcare. Unfortunately, Nigerians' efforts to bring its citizens back home have been slowed down by diplomatic difficulties and bureaucracies. To address this issue, Nigerians need to strengthen the diplomatic image in Africa by working more closely with African Union and the United Nations to ensure the safety of Nigerians abroad. Inclusivity and progressivism should be prioritized in the approach to foreign policy, much like the new British monarch, King Charles III, focused on strategies that promote safe service, growth and prosperity for all. This will foster unity and development between African states. Foreign policies and ethics are integral to a country's survival in international system, and Nigerians need to put its best food forward to achieve this. The recent example of the fruitful fight between ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine in Turkey during a peace negotiation highlighted the importance of diplomacy and the need for mutual respect between countries. In conclusion, Nigerians need to strengthen its multilateral relations with other countries and international organizations to protect its citizens in diaspora through a focus on inclusivity and progressivism. Nigerians can foster unity and development between African states by prioritizing diplomacy and mutual respect. Countries can achieve a peaceful and stable international system benefiting all. I'm going to start with you sir. I actually raised the key story this year. The key story one is the current situation in Sudan. But before we talk about Sudan, let's just quickly say something about the new British monarch. Just something nice. For the past 70 years, of course, Queen Elizabeth reigned after her father tried to take Yuki out of depression during the following the Second World War. Queen Elizabeth came on board as a young queen now. She presided over League of Nations, including Commonwealth, trying to foster prosperity. And then her son, King Chasi, thought he was emphasizing a safe service for all. Safe service and inclusivity. That's the only way the monarch can be sustained as influential in this. So I just want to hear one thought from you. And then Victor will dive into another issue. Royalty in England has played a big role in the Commonwealth when we are talking about diplomacy and the ability to impact nations. Many Nigerians have taken advantage of Commonwealth scholarships and all that. We have benefited a lot from that. And indeed, sometimes in the economic sphere, it has been useful for us and all that. We come from the background of the fact that they were colonial rulers. He was good there. But then we have evolved over time into becoming partners. The situation is really unlike the one you have with the French assimilation, where some will say that when the French left the left colonists, they didn't live in independent states. I mean you have the countries without central banks virtually, they rely on France to dictate the value of their currency. But with Britain, we have virtually become partners. We have evolved to the extent that the condition we run today is not even the one they left for us. We use the American constitution to show the extent of our independence. In 1963, we left the jurisdiction of the Privy Council, so we became fully independent. Since then, we have become partners. Although under the common word, we have gained a lot in order. It is a point to say to the British congratulations on the coming into being of a new monarch. And to hope that it will usher in a greater period of cooperation between Nigeria and Britain. I think I will just piggyback on what King Charles Thor said about selflessness and inclusivity. I think it is very important because when you look at it, it is that word selflessness. It is something that we are very akin to in Nigeria. And I think that if leaders can emulate that certain virtue, which is serving, knowing that when you are in any position of leadership, it is actually the position to serve people. And selflessness is really about thinking about the highest good of other people and not just what I want to do with this power. But what change can I affect? Where can I take the people to? How can I make things easier, better, more progressive for the better? Also inclusivity is also very important. We must now show, like Stephen said, lesson for African leaders, how can we be more inclusive getting everybody carried along? When we look at people who are quote-unquote disabled, they are not. They are just abled in another format. So it is ability in another format. So there is the non-inclusiveness of women and things like that. So we need to bring everybody together. We need to build societies that are all inclusive. So kudos to the British. Kudos to, I mean, it was a very wonderful ceremony. You watched it. I couldn't help watching it. I can only wish them all the best. Good one. Okay, I'm going to talk something else. I want to say something else. The next issue on brand air, talking about, according to Adolf Hitler, I just stated that when diplomacy fails, war begins. And so what happened two weeks ago, I consider quite inhumane and disturbing two ambassadors fighting. You saw it about two weeks ago. The Russian ambassador and an ambassador from Russia and an ambassador from Ukraine involving in a physical fight. It was like a kind of ugly situation considering what is happening now in Ukraine. So I want to hear your thoughts on this. How do you think world leaders can garner and to solve the problem? There are a lot of issues on the ground in Ukraine and a lot of geopolitics that is going on. You remember Russia is a successor to USSR which was engaged in Cold War with the West. What we are seeing, it's an evolution of what was going on at that time. Putin is trying to restore the Russian state as it was. The gradual collapse of the Russian state is what led to the emergence of states like Ukraine, Belarus, all these states, is their collapse. What Putin sees the world in terms of that time is, in my view, unable to reconcile himself with the collapse of the Soviet Union. What you find in these ambassadors of fighting is a physical embodiment of what is happening between the Russian and the Russian states. What you find in these ambassadors of fighting is a physical embodiment of what is happening between the Russian and the Russian states. It's a conflict that it would not be easy to solve. I don't envy any diplomat trying to solve it because in order to solve it, you need to know that these things go back a long way. The history between even Ukraine, how Ukraine came to be part of the USSR and the history, the cultural differences and all that, you have to delve far back into their history and then the position of Russia, these are the west, the different values in terms of democracy and autocracy and all that. There's a proxy war going on between different values and different ways of seeing the world. That's what you are seeing. A clash, you may say, of civilizations. Humanity is suffering despite the views, theologies, philosophy, whatever. Humanity is suffering. The truth is that when war has been part of the existence of humanity, I pray that there can be a truth in the conflict between them. Just that, while the principal parties are ruling the two nations and ruling on why the principal characters in this conflict remain in power, I really don't see it. Why the principal characters remain in power, Putin remains in power and the American president remains who he is. The Ukrainian president remains who he is. I really don't see how diplomatic can really change things. Okay, before I come to you, Riktor, I'd like to go to the next topic regarding diplomacy and the Sudan crisis. Some people said it's not time for hu-hu. I don't know. I think you've read that book. It's not yet time for hu-hu. Mr. Stephen, must have heard of that book. It's not yet time for hu-hu. It's not yet time for freedom. It's not yet time to celebrate. Recently, the president Elect Ashwa Dabola made to know he has been on several occasions out of Nigeria and they said he is in Europe for his state visits or working visits. And some presidents of some countries have or some top people, including organizations in different countries have shown interest in wanting to see him or wanting to have his presence because he is a new elected president. And then what happened last week or so is it last week or last week while he was in a protocol Governor Wickey invited in the Kuman Commission project but some other persons out of the school have thought that we can only have one president at a time. Wait for your turn. It's not yet time. Wait. Relax. Why some other persons said it's a good thing, it hits the ground running. So he is trying to prepare himself. So when he lands in Europe, he hits the ground running. But more importantly, whichever way I'm concerned more about Nigerian perception the administration of President Buhari is almost over. It's almost time up. So let's talk about going forward. What better way do you think Nigerians can strengthen their imagery? We don't use the principle of reciprocity here. It's not what happened between Nigeria and South Africa. It's a nophobic attack and all those things. I'm not trying to whip up sentiment here. I'm not trying to cause any problem. I respect South Africans there. However, some unfortunate things happened and this issue has not been addressed properly because one way or the other Nigerians are suffering and the government of Nigeria has not been able to say I mean suffering in mostly African countries image problem. During the period of Sudan evacuation a Nigerian business, I think a Nigerian businesswoman that these we're selling weeks or something she was in Ghana for a trade fair and what did they do to her? I don't know that you follow the news. They asked her to live or they asked her to show that they actually came to destroy her trade fair that look you are coming to the spoil market for Wincarnians. Yeah, it happened. So this thing I can go on and on and on. Is it the fact that Ethiopians shut down their borders against Nigerians and say no, we need visa to cross or Egypt trying to... We had to do president Buhari had to call the president LCC before they could open their borders to Nigeria. So is there something that we can do because we are talking about promoting African Union strengthening African Union promoting free trade agenda and making Africa a strong economic bloc in the world but if you are having this disfragmentation in Africa it can't happen. So what do you think about? You see I think that it's even important what we are talking about now because after African free trade is about to take off which means that Africans should prepare we have signed the agreement we are going to have to get to the stage where we start trading with ourselves. That's what the new government should actually be preparing for linking up with other governments. Whether we like it or not borders are going to have to be relaxed. African head of states will have to meet with each other more and then trade, African trade will have to boom. Nigeria should be preparing itself for such an eventuality now. That's what we should be preparing for that's what other African countries should be preparing for just like Europe has shown with a united union you can go for. Africa should be coming head of states should be strategising along those lines. The problem we had with the South Africans was simple the average South African does not know how much Nigeria contributed to their Liberation struggle Liberation struggle and at the time they first saw Nigerians they saw perhaps the worst of us unfortunately our economy was bad and then many Nigerians went there that were perhaps not the best representation of Nigerians but it is not strange what has happened what has happened between Nigerians actually happened between Nigeria and Ghana you remember in 1969 the Ghanians deported us and we deported Ghanians and they first deported us and then later in the 60s they deported us we then deported them then the South Africans are like this maybe it is a lack of awareness maybe a military government too the way they pursued diplomacy when you pursue diplomacy it is like the relationship between you must always remember also your own self interest so that when you are doing something you think of what is in it for me the way America goes out and does things for countries what is in it for America how can America benefit you see what they did for the Koreans but they ensured that American companies benefited from that even when they did Afghanistan they ensured that America benefited from it we went to Liberia and we didn't get anything much from it when we do our foreign policy we are not thinking in terms of what we will get from it it is something that needs to be changed there is no further Christmas in the world just like an individual you can't just be giving people things without thinking of what you get from it it is a basic concept in international relations we need with South Africans to forget what is happening at the moment we need to forget and forgive because it happens between nations what we need to do is how do we start a new relationship with them in which we show that we can trade together and these two countries can partner to raise the profile of Africa because these are the two power houses today of Africa today it is quite unfortunate that Obama and Joe contributed to peace in Ethiopia he was the one that actually chairman of the African Union and ending two years civil war in the Tigray region versus the Ethiopian government Obama sometimes is a former president of Nigeria and then Nigerians were fleeing a war in Sudan to Ethiopia and this same Ethiopian government against Nigeria as we ran up as we wrap up it also begins back to what I said earlier which is really about building something around African Union I mean if we are trying to build a lot of solid ties we are trying to build something that will be transgenerational because if we just assume that we will be here forever you would not be you are going to play your the boy is going to pass to you you will play in your own time and at some point you will be able to play what legacies are we living behind why should I even require a visa to go to any African country why are we doing this to ourselves and I mean you go to the UK you just wake up and you travel to the next neighboring country you can't even try you can't do free trade that way the thing is we need to we also need to I think something is wrong with us internally and is this thing that is also happening with when you come down to Nigeria I mean this is not this is not even being tribalistic the egos are not united I mean that's just it's a strong but that's a thing there's also this thing of you are Yoruba but you are you are a foreign Yoruba I mean deep Yoruba all of these things are so if Africans come together we must begin to see ourselves as one I should wake up pack my bags and go to Ethiopia without having to worry about anything and if Yoruba should come to Nigeria we should begin to I don't know if you watched that video that has been trending on Twitter but I forgot I think in the present of Kenya he was talking about the fact that they treated us like kids put us into a bus he was trying to so he was trying inside I want to say some things he said but he was really profound he picked back the fact that even amongst ourselves we don't value ourselves we don't carry ourselves with dignity so in a way the colonization happened many years ago but somehow they are still in mental slavery we are even worse off to ourselves exactly so I'll wrap up with this it's almost like that king that king that wanted to forgive debtors his servants get me the debtors book list so you know what I forgive every one of you that owed me so much money and a certain man was owing the king the largest sum of money he was forgiving that debt guess what the man stepped out and went to grab the troops of somebody that is redeeming his environment that is owing him just one tenth of that bigger debt that the king forgave him so he couldn't forgive that smud the thing he had about it king got angry and threw that man in jail so it's this thing of within ourselves we don't look after ourselves we don't see ourselves as valuable so how are those that are not of the African descendant how they see us as valuable I think I mean it's a deep call of reflection for us when we start seeing ourselves differently when we start seeing ourselves of high value let's put up a solid front African you know we must be solid put up a solid front such that when these guys coming we can say oh this is how we want to do things we are united but when you say let me go to let me go to Ghana to do this I said no I will go to Nigeria to accept so when you say oh no these guys are united so if you try to enter through Ghana it doesn't work you go to Ethiopia because we are united on this matter but when you say oh if Japan president is saying no let me go to let me go to Senegal they will say yes there is no united front we need to have that united front that's what I'm advocating for today that's very good that's fair thank you very much for your input gentlemen victory is next after the break