Nigeria’s government has opposed a proposal to create a new department from the African Union’s (AU) existing Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), warning that such a move could disrupt the AU’s political and security processes.
President Bola Tinubu made this stance clear in his address at the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government, which concluded on Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“We do not support the proposal to reconfigure the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, as the reconfiguration of the PAPS Department in the way currently suggested will only lead us to incur more expenditure needlessly,” Tinubu stated.
Nigeria’s opposition to the plan comes just days after the re-election of Nigerian diplomat Bankole Adeoye as the head of the department for another term. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, delivered the address on behalf of the President, as revealed in a statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
While Nigeria supports AU reforms aimed at strengthening the organization, Tinubu stressed that restructuring PAPS was unnecessary. He praised Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Kenyan President William Ruto for their reform proposals and endorsed the establishment of a Heads of State and Government Oversight Committee for AU Reforms under Ruto’s leadership.
The President also supported limiting the AU Summit agenda to three strategic items to enhance efficiency. However, he firmly rejected the creation of a new department within PAPS, emphasizing that it would destabilize AU’s security framework.
“We already have a SOD under the Directorate of PAPS. We cannot have a Peace Support Operations Directorate independent of the Directorate of Political Affairs, Peace and Security,” Tinubu stated.
He further insisted that AU reforms should focus on implementing already adopted policies rather than introducing unapproved changes.
“It is in this connection that Nigeria wishes to reiterate that instead of seeking to reach consensus on all fronts of our reform at one sweep, we should concentrate on areas where we have already reached consensus. There is no harm in carrying out reform in phases,” he added.
President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the AU reform process, provided it remains transparent, inclusive, and does not destabilize the organization’s existing structures.
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