Grassroots Governance Shapes Nigeria’s Global Image, Says Foreign Affairs Minister
Nigeria’s standing abroad begins with what happens at home, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has said, stressing that effective grassroots governance is central to the country’s foreign policy and international image.
Enikanolaiye made the submission in Abuja at the 2026 maiden National Conference of the 774 Local Government Chairmen and Chairmen of Traditional Rulers’ Councils.
The conference, convened by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, was themed “Cascading President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to the Grassroots.”
The minister said policies implemented at the grassroots have direct implications for Nigeria’s international relations, describing local governments and traditional institutions as critical to national development and global projection.
“For us in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, every aspect of our government policy at home has implications for foreign policy and Nigeria’s international relations,” he said.
He said the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda depended largely on its impact at the grassroots, linking the government’s 4-D foreign policy doctrine, Democracy, Development, Demography and Diaspora, to effective local governance.
Enikanolaiye said empowering Nigeria’s 774 local government areas could unlock the country’s demographic strength, boost economic productivity, attract foreign investment and strengthen democratic participation.
He added that the Foreign Affairs Ministry would support grassroots development through investment matchmaking via Nigeria’s 110 diplomatic missions, partnerships with foreign allies and the use of traditional rulers’ community intelligence to strengthen national security.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Olumuyiwa Enitan Abel, represented by Dr Vitalis Obi, said local governments remained closest to the people and were crucial to effective service delivery, while traditional rulers played an important role in peacebuilding.
The Permanent Secretary, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Dr Onwusoro Maduka Ihemelandu, said the ministry had developed an E-Tracking Framework to address gaps in data on local government interventions by tracking project locations, values, timelines and verification status.
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