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The Federal Government has unveiled plans to deepen Nigeria’s diplomatic, economic and security engagement with countries in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, including efforts to rebuild political relations with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, disclosed this on Saturday in Maiduguri, Borno State, while declaring open a two-day high-level retreat involving Nigerian ambassadors and diplomatic representatives from the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin region.
The retreat, with the theme, “Strengthening Nigeria's Engagement with the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin Countries: Towards Peace, Security and Sustainable Regional Development,” is expected to produce a new framework for Nigeria’s regional engagement.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria could no longer afford to treat developments in neighbouring countries as external issues, noting that instability in the Sahel has direct consequences for Nigeria’s security, economy and diplomacy.
“What happens in Niamey affects Maiduguri. What happens in N'Djamena influences Borno,” he said, adding that developments in Bamako and Ouagadougou also have implications for Nigeria.
He specifically called for diplomatic efforts to “mend fences” with the Alliance of Sahel States comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The minister said Nigeria’s engagement with the countries of the region was based on centuries of shared history, culture, commerce, religion and social ties, stressing that modern borders had not erased those connections.
He advocated greater economic integration as a tool for promoting peace, arguing that increased trade, industrialisation, agricultural development and food security could reduce tensions and create shared economic interests among countries.
According to him, the Sahel is facing a combination of terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime, irregular migration, climate change, environmental degradation, humanitarian emergencies and geopolitical rivalry.
He said the complexity of the challenges required countries to abandon isolated approaches and embrace coordinated regional responses.
“Diplomacy must remain at the core of our regional engagement,” he said.
As part of efforts to promote sustainable development, Enikanolaiye disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was proposing a Sahel Development Compact.
The initiative, he said, would focus on infrastructure, agriculture, trade, transport, energy, education, climate resilience, water resources, humanitarian response and human capital development.
He stressed that military operations alone could not guarantee lasting peace, saying security measures must be complemented by economic opportunities, social justice and inclusive development, particularly for young people.
The minister also renewed calls for the revitalisation of Lake Chad, describing the restoration of the lake’s waters as critical to regional security, environmental sustainability and the livelihoods of millions of people.
He urged stakeholders to move beyond discussions about the feasibility and environmental impact of the proposed project and begin efforts to mobilise the estimated $50 billion-plus needed to implement it.
Enikanolaiye also advocated renewed commitment to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), saying stronger regional cooperation remained necessary to confront persistent security threats in the Lake Chad Basin.
He described Maiduguri as a symbolic location for the retreat, noting that the city had moved from being widely associated with insecurity to becoming an example of resilience, recovery and renewed development.
According to him, the progress recorded in Maiduguri demonstrates the possibility of transforming conflict-affected areas through sustained leadership, government intervention and community resilience.
The minister said the retreat would focus on practical measures to rebuild confidence, strengthen political dialogue, expand economic cooperation and reinforce regional security arrangements.
He added that Nigeria remained committed to African solidarity, regional integration and peaceful coexistence, stressing that the country’s leadership role was aimed at building bridges rather than dictating outcomes to neighbouring states.
Participants are expected to adopt the Maiduguri Roadmap for Nigeria’s Continued Engagement with the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin Countries at the conclusion of the retreat.
The roadmap is expected to provide mechanisms for regular high-level visits, political consultations, Joint Commission meetings and sector-specific working groups covering security, economic integration, humanitarian cooperation and people-to-people relations.
Enikanolaiye urged Nigerian diplomats and other participants to ensure that the meeting produced practical and implementable recommendations.
He maintained that diplomacy remained essential to sustaining peace, even as security cooperation continued to play a critical role.
“Stronger engagement today will produce greater regional stability tomorrow,” he said.
The minister commended Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, for hosting the retreat and described Maiduguri as an appropriate venue for rethinking Nigeria’s relationship with the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin countries.
The meeting is expected to shape a renewed Nigerian strategy for addressing the interconnected security, economic, environmental and humanitarian challenges confronting the region.