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By Gloria Ikibah.

Foreign diplomatic missions in Nigeria have been cautioned against making unguarded comments, disparaging remarks or unsolicited lectures on democracy as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, issued the warning on Thursday during her first formal briefing with members of the Diplomatic Corps since assuming office, on Thursday in Abuja.

The Minister said Nigeria recognised the regional and international implications of developments in the country but expected foreign missions to respect its sovereignty and established diplomatic channels.

She said: “As the 2027 General Elections draw near, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would request that Mission remain guided, recognizing that as the largest democracy in Africa that developments in Nigeria have regional and international implications, we would not accept unguarded comments, disparaging remarks, or unsolicited lectures on democracy from any country or international organization, the Government of President Tinubu is committed to democracy and delivering an election that would be peaceful, free, fair and credible in all ramifications.”

The warning formed part of a broader call for stronger relations between Nigeria and the diplomatic community, with Odumegwu-Ojukwu urging foreign missions to engage the government through established diplomatic channels and on the basis of mutual respect.

She said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remained the official channel between diplomatic missions and the Nigerian Government, including the Presidency, ministries, departments and agencies.

The Minister explained that the arrangement was intended to ensure proper coordination and avoid conflicting information, duplication and misunderstandings.

“The Ministry is not an obstacle between you and the Nigerian Government; we are your bridge to the Nigerian Government”, she said.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu also called for greater attention to economic diplomacy, saying Nigeria’s foreign policy under President Bola Tinubu was anchored on the Four Ds — Demography, Development, Democracy and Diaspora.

She said the policy was designed to place Nigerians and their interests at the centre of the country’s international engagements, while maintaining Nigeria’s commitment to Africa and constructive relations with the wider world.

The Minister also reaffirmed Nigeria’s pursuit of strategic autonomy in its international relations, stressing that the approach did not amount to isolation.

“Strategic autonomy does not mean isolation; it means preserving Nigeria’s sovereign right to determine the relationships and positions that best serve our people”, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
Nigeria seeks more tangible diplomatic gains
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Ministry will pay renewed attention to dormant Joint Commissions and Bi-national Commissions, some of which, she said, had remained inactive because of administrative and logistical challenges.

According to her, the mechanisms will be revitalised to advance cooperation in trade, investment, security, education, technology, health, agriculture and other areas of mutual interest.

“Ultimately, the strength of our diplomatic relationships should be measured not only by the warmth of our engagements, but by the tangible benefits they produce for our respective peoples”, the Minister said.

She therefore urged diplomatic missions to work with Nigeria to deepen trade and investment, strengthen cooperation on peace and security, advance education, health and technological innovation, and create greater opportunities for citizens.

On consular matters, the Minister urged foreign missions to review visa procedures for Nigerian applicants, particularly where processing delays affect legitimate travellers, students, business people and families.

“While we fully respect the sovereign right of every country to determine its visa policy, excessively long waiting periods can create considerable difficulties for legitimate travelers, students, businesspersons and families. We therefore encourage greater efficiency, transparency and responsiveness wherever possible”, she stated.

She also assured members of the Diplomatic Corps that the safety and welfare of foreign diplomats remained a priority for the Nigerian Government.

Nigeria, she said, remained conscious of its obligations under the Vienna Conventions, including the protection of diplomatic and consular personnel, their families, premises and property.

“We want you to feel safe, enjoy your assignments and ultimately leave Nigeria with positive memories of our country and our people”, she stated.
Nigeria backs dialogue, multilateralism
The Minister said Nigeria will continue to promote dialogue, multilateralism and peaceful resolution of disputes while remaining active in ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth and other international institutions.

“Nigeria will therefore continue to champion dialogue, multilateralism and peaceful resolution of disputes, while remaining active within ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth and other international institutions. We will continue to advocate an international system in which Africa’s voice is heard and the continent participates meaningfully in shaping global decisions”, the Minister said.

She said Nigeria was open to trade, investment, tourism, technology, knowledge transfer and other meaningful partnerships, but stressed that such relationships should be based on reciprocity, sovereign equality and mutual respect.

“At a time of increasing geopolitical complexity, conflicts, terrorism, climate change, cyber insecurity, irregular migration and economic uncertainty remind us that no country can confront today’s challenges alone”, she noted.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Ministry will also continue efforts to facilitate the accreditation of foreign diplomats and improve the processing of agréments for Nigerian ambassadors.

She acknowledged the cooperation of foreign governments in processing Nigeria’s ambassadorial nominees and said Abuja was taking steps to facilitate the commencement of duties by ambassadors and high commissioners accredited to Nigeria.

The Minister described the diplomatic briefing as the beginning of closer engagement between the Ministry and foreign missions, calling for frank discussions, constructive dialogue and mutual respect.

“I want us to speak frankly, engage constructively and resolve issues through dialogue, established diplomatic channels and mutual respect.

“The true measure of our relationships will not be the number of meetings we hold or communiqués we issue. It will be the progress we achieve for our peoples, the investments we facilitate, the opportunities we create, the challenges we resolve and the friendships we strengthen.

“Let us move forward together in a spirit of constructive dialogue, reciprocal respect, mutual confidence and shared prosperity”, she said.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu assured that Nigeria remained ready to work with the international community while keeping its national interests at the centre of its foreign policy.

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…as over 5,000 graduates petition National Assembly as NOUN, Law School seek fresh hearing.

By Gloria Ikibah.

The House of Representatives has stepped into the prolonged dispute over the admission of law graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) into the Nigerian Law School for mandatory Bar training and examinations.

The intervention followed a petition by affected graduates under the aegis of the Backlog of Law Graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria, who asked the House to resolve what they described as a long-running stalemate that has prevented them from completing their professional legal training.

The petitioners put the number of affected graduates at more than 5,000, saying they had completed their LLB programmes but remained unable to proceed to the Nigerian Law School and qualify for Call to Bar.

The issue came before the House Committee on Public Petitions on Wednesday, following a petition jointly signed by the group’s President, Dr Adeniyi O. Oladele; Vice-President, Mrs Nora John; Secretary, Mr Paschal Emeka Egerue; and Public Relations Officer, Chibueze Kenneth Obochi.

The committee had invited NOUN and the Council of Legal Education (CLE), the body responsible for the Nigerian Law School, to explain their positions on the dispute.

The latest hearing was, however, not conclusive, with the committee directing the parties to complete their outstanding submissions before the matter comes up again on September 30, 2026.

Speaking with journalists after the hearing, Obochi said the graduates were compelled to approach the National Assembly after exhausting other avenues of resolving the matter.

He argued that the affected graduates should not bear the consequences of disagreements between government institutions.

Obochi cited Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, in making the case for equal educational opportunities for Nigerian citizens.

He said, “Section 18, subsection 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, makes it clear that the government shall give directive that equal education of all citizens of Nigeria shall be a core matter to the federal government, and that’s the reason they’ve set up schools and universities here and there.

“So this is our position, that we should not be made victims of inter-agency rivalries. We were not part of any agreements or disagreements between NOUN and CLE and Nigerian Law School. We are Nigerian citizens and we are innocent of whatever that must have transpired.”

The association also disputed the interpretation of an earlier list of 1,883 graduates submitted by NOUN during engagements with the relevant authorities in 2019.

Obochi argued that the use of the words “so far” in describing the number of graduates meant that the list was not necessarily a final record of everyone who would subsequently complete the programme.

He said, “Every lawyer, even a layman, understands the express statement when you say ‘so far’. That means it opens a window to some persons left behind.

“As of 2015, when the National Open University was advised to stop admission, we had already started the programme. And every reasonable person knows that when you stop admission, it does not mean that you have chased away those who are already studying.”

He said the affected graduates had documents, including matriculation numbers, showing when they were admitted into the university.

According to him, “So we are of the opinion that justice and fairness shall prevail over this matter. And what was done to our seniors should also be extended to us. So, as we stated earlier, we have done LLB and we are proud of the programme we did and the certification thereupon.”
NOUN gives account of dispute
NOUN did not appear physically before the committee on Wednesday, with the university instead submitting a letter explaining the absence of its Vice-Chancellor.

The letter, signed by the Registrar, Oladipo A. Ajayi, acknowledged receipt of the committee’s summons and explained that the Vice-Chancellor was away on an official assignment.

The university consequently requested another date to appear before the committee.

In its earlier submission, NOUN welcomed the House intervention and said it appreciated the committee’s efforts to find an equitable and lasting solution to the matter.

The university said an accreditation team from the National Universities Commission, led by Prof Nsongurua Udombana, visited the institution in 2015 as part of the accreditation process for its LLB programme.

It said that while it was awaiting the accreditation report, the CLE published its position rejecting admission of NOUN law graduates into the Nigerian Law School.

NOUN said it subsequently suspended fresh admission into the LLB programme in 2015 and had not admitted new students since then.

According to the university, the decision was intended to prevent the number of affected students from increasing while the regulatory issues remained unresolved.

The institution said that between 2015 and 2019, its management engaged the CLE and other stakeholders in an attempt to resolve the eligibility of its law graduates for admission into the Nigerian Law School.

In 2019, it formally appealed to the CLE for the admission of its law graduates and submitted a list of 1,883 graduates.

NOUN later discovered that 90 graduates had inadvertently been left out, bringing the actual number at the time to 1,973.

The university further stated that the Body of Benchers considered the matter in 2020 and approved a Special Remedial Programme for NOUN law graduates instead of direct admission into Bar Part II, which applies to graduates of other Nigerian universities.

It added that on May 13, 2022, it submitted another batch of 2,226 law graduates who had completed their studies between 2019 and May 2022 for consideration for admission into the Nigerian Law School.

According to NOUN, the CLE rejected the subsequent submission on grounds including an alleged understanding that the 2019 submission represented the total number of NOUN law graduates and an allegation that the university had continued admitting students into the LLB programme after 2015.

NOUN rejected the allegation, insisting that admission into the programme was suspended in 2015 and never resumed.

The university explained that those included in the subsequent submission were students who had been admitted before the suspension but completed their studies after 2015.

Law School seeks fresh date
The Nigerian Law School also did not appear before the committee.

Its Director-General, Dr Olugbemisola Odusote, sent a letter explaining that she could not attend because of an official assignment requiring the participation of relevant officials on the scheduled date.

The institution expressed regret over its absence and requested that the committee communicate another date for the hearing.

It also submitted a response to the petition and assured the House of its willingness to cooperate with the committee.

The dispute has persisted for several years, with thousands of NOUN law graduates repeatedly seeking access to the professional training required for qualification as legal practitioners. Recent reports have put the number of affected graduates at more than 4,000, although the petition before the House puts the figure at over 5,000.

The Council of Legal Education has previously maintained that admission into the Nigerian Law School is subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, while earlier batches of NOUN graduates were admitted through a special remedial arrangement.

The House committee is now expected to consider the submissions of the parties as it continues its investigation.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Publicity, Rep. Akin Rotimi, who laid the petition before the House on July 21, 2026, expressed commitment to ensuring that the concerns of the affected graduates receive attention.

Rotimi stressed the need for a fair and lasting resolution, saying graduates who had completed their academic programmes should not be left in prolonged uncertainty over their professional training.

He assured the affected graduates of his support for efforts to resolve the issues surrounding their admission and ensure that the matter receives the necessary attention from the relevant authorities.

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Panic has engulfed Gajiram, headquarters of Nganzai Local Government Area of Borno State, afte an alleged attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the community.

The attack reportedly occurred on Thursday evening, September 17, when insurgents advanced towards the military position, triggering a fierce exchange of gunfire with troops.

Unconfirmed reports cited by local sources claimed that seven soldiers were killed during the confrontation. The sources also alleged that the insurgents briefly overran parts of the base and set fire to a military gun truck and other logistics before reinforcements and air support arrived.

However, the military’s account did not confirm the reported seven fatalities.

In a statement, the Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, said troops detected the terrorists as they advanced towards FOB Gajiram, with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support from the Multinational Joint Task Force.

According to the military, troops immediately adopted defensive positions while the Air Component launched close air support operations, forcing the attackers to withdraw from the area.

The military also disclosed that a separate attack was launched later that night against FOB Mairari in Guzamala Local Government Area.

Troops reportedly repelled the assault, while subsequent operations led to the recovery of four bodies believed to be those of the attacking terrorists. Security forces also recovered AK-47 rifles, ammunition, RPG bombs and other military equipment.

The reported death of seven soldiers in the Gajiram attack remains unverified, as the military statement reviewed did not provide a corresponding casualty figure.

Gajiram and surrounding communities in northern Borno have repeatedly come under attack from Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents, highlighting the persistent security challenges facing troops and residents in the region.