…Nigeria must urgently rebuild its diplomatic machinery but not as a political patronage and bureaucratic exercise, but as a strategic imperative. Ambassadors must have competence in international affairs. They must be empowered, visible and proactive. They must engage lawmakers, brief editorial boards, convene diaspora networks and challenge misinformation in real time.
The coordinated US–Nigeria strike on ISIS targets in Sokoto is a reminder of two truths that can coexist:
1. Nigeria must relentlessly decimate terrorists. On that, my support is absolute.
2. Nigeria must also confront and correct the dangerous, false narrative of a “Christian genocide.”
The second point is where we continue to fail.
This morning, I listened to Ian Dale’s LBC programme in the UK, where the strike was discussed for a full hour. What struck me was not the analysis itself, but the callers, including Nigerians, confidently pushing the same misleading narrative that has been gaining traction internationally. A narrative that oversimplifies our security challenges and misdiagnoses the drivers of violence.
What disappointed me even more was the silence. No Nigerian government spokesperson called in to LBC, which is a very important and influential radio station. No authoritative voice intervened. No counter‑narrative emerged. Once again, we ceded the information space.
And this is precisely why Nigeria’s long standing failure to appoint ambassadors has been so costly. For two years, over 70 missions have been operating without confirmed envoys, including Washington, London, Brussels, Addis and other strategic capitals where narratives are shaped, policies are drafted and perceptions harden into action.
When you leave your diplomatic posts empty, you leave your story undefended.
Even now, as Nigeria finally begins nominating ambassadors, the effects of that vacuum linger. Advocacy groups, diaspora actors and political entrepreneurs have spent years defining Nigeria to the world often inaccurately, sometimes maliciously, and almost always without nuance.
Meanwhile, the real picture is far more complex:
A. Terrorism, banditry and communal violence affect Christians, Muslims and indigenous faith communities alike.
B. The drivers are criminality, extremism, resource competition and governance gaps, not a state‑sponsored religious agenda.
C. Nigeria’s government has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to interfaith harmony and counterterrorism.
But if we do not articulate this complexity with clarity and consistency, others will continue to flatten it into a dangerous, polarising narrative.
Narratives shape policy. Policy shapes consequences.
This is why Nigeria must urgently rebuild its diplomatic machinery but not as a political patronage and bureaucratic exercise, but as a strategic imperative. Ambassadors must have competence in international affairs. They must be empowered, visible and proactive. They must engage lawmakers, brief editorial boards, convene diaspora networks and challenge misinformation in real time.
Silence is not neutrality.
Silence is surrender.
Nigeria cannot afford to be absent from conversations that define its global reputation, its security partnerships and most importantly its internal cohesion.
We have begun to rebuild. But the work is far from done as I heard on LBC radio this morning.
Wale Osofisan is senior director, governance technical unit at the International Rescue Committee.
