By NEFISHETU YAKUBU

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for the immediate appointment of qualified ambassadors to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic presence, rebuild partnerships and restore international confidence in the country’s leadership credibility.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the statement was in apparent response to the U.S. President, Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern.

Abdullahi stated that Nigeria’s crisis was not about ethnicity or religion but ‘an existential threat endangering every citizen across the nation’.

He called for a complete overhaul of the country’s security structure, including an independent audit of performance, leadership and operational strategies across security agencies nationwide.

The party’s spokesman equally advocated for a foreign policy reset focusing on national interest, urgent economic reforms addressing inflation and improved social welfare for vulnerable citizens nationwide.

He emphasised the need for accountable, citizen-centred governance, where public institutions would serve people and not personalities.

Abdullahi noted that the party was guided by the painful reality that thousands of human lives had been lost, irrespective of tribe, religion or region.

He also acknowledged the fact that insecurity did not begin under President Bola Tinubu, adding, however, that it had taken a frightening dimension.

“President Trump’s statement underscores a rising global concern for the sanctity of human life and governments’ moral duty to protect citizens within their borders.

“It also reminds nations that dignity is not measured only by economic strength but by consistent respect for human rights and the right to life,” he said.

Abdullahi highlighted what he called Nigeria’s deepening diplomatic failures which worsened its global vulnerability, stressing the urgent need to restore confidence, credibility and effectiveness within foreign relations and diplomacy.

He appreciated Trump and other world leaders for their expressed concern about Nigeria’s security situation and democratic stability.

The ADC spokesman, however, said that such concern should promote democratic capacity-building and institutional reform, not military intervention, which could endanger Nigeria’s fragile democracy.

“Nigeria is not beyond saving, but time is running out. We must act with courage, clarity and compassion to preserve the dignity of every Nigerian,” he stated. (NAN)