Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s foreign policy, stating that Nigeria has become irrelevant on the global stage under his leadership.
In a statement issued on Friday, Shaibu pointed to Nigeria’s exclusion from an upcoming meeting between former U.S. President Donald Trump and five African leaders—Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal—as evidence of the country’s diminishing international standing.
“This exclusion by the Trump administration is not a diplomatic oversight.”
“It is a verdict—scathing in symbolism and staggering in implication. A verdict on Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chaotic presidency, his divisive chairmanship of ECOWAS, and the complete evaporation of Nigeria’s diplomatic relevance,” he said.
According to Shaibu, Nigeria’s absence from the talks was a deliberate decision, not a clerical error. He said the development reflects the erosion of Nigeria’s influence under Tinubu.
“Tinubu inherited an ECOWAS of 15 member states and left it gasping for breath, with three countries pulling out and 40 percent of its land mass gone,” he said.
“From Giant of Africa to diplomatic ghost — Tinubu has finished the job. He has squandered our legacy, diluted our stature, and silenced our voice on the world stage.”
Shaibu also contrasted Nigeria’s situation with South Africa’s, noting that while the latter is engaging Washington in trade negotiations, Nigeria “is invisible” under Tinubu’s administration.
He added that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition is determined to restore the country’s international credibility.
“We will not be complicit in our own erasure. The damage is deep — but so is our resolve. And the mission to reclaim Nigeria’s honour has already begun,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Shaibu had predicted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would lose the 2027 presidential election due to worsening hunger and economic hardship across the country.
“No amount of propaganda can cover hunger. No PR can spin poverty,” he stated.
