The Double Life of Abuja: Our Government Points a Finger at the West in the Morning, Only to Bow at Night -By Abdullahi Abubakar Ladan

The Federal Republic of Nigeria, a giant in Africa and a respected voice at the United Nations, is currently suffering from a severe case of diplomatic schizophrenia. On the one hand, our diplomats boldly affirm our commitment to global justice, voting consistently against the excesses of occupation and conflict. On the other, our security apparatus quietly signs highly critical agreements that risk compromising our national sovereignty and exposing us to the very foreign interests we publicly condemn.

This jarring contradiction is starkly illustrated by a sequence of recent events. In September 2025, Vice President Kashim Shettima delivered a principled address at the UN General Assembly, demanding a two-state solution and standing in solidarity with international law regarding the Middle East conflict. Yet, barely a month later, we learned of the Nigerian government’s commitment to new, far-reaching security Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Israel, signed in August 2025, which include collaboration on counter-terrorism, advanced training, and, most critically, information sharing through agencies like the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The Inconsistency of Principle
Our voting record at the UN, where Nigeria consistently aligns with the global majority against Israel on resolutions concerning Palestine, is laudable and reflective of our founding principles. The UN Watch Database indicates that Nigeria votes against Israel in the majority of resolutions concerning the Middle East—a firm stance that projects our sovereignty and non-alignment.

However, a foreign policy built on moral principle at the UN General Assembly is meaningless if it is undermined by transactional security deals signed in secret behind the closed doors of Abuja. This duality is neither pragmatic nor strategic; it is a profound vulnerability. It suggests a government that is attempting to appease the local populace with moralistic rhetoric during the day, while kowtowing to powerful foreign security establishments at night.

The decision to trust a foreign military power with deep access to our NCC, the nerve centre of our digital and telecommunications sovereignty, and our MoD is breathtakingly risky. This risk is not hypothetical; it is grounded in documented history.

Nigeria must learn from the tragic lessons of the United States, which, despite being Israel’s closest ally, has repeatedly been compromised by Israeli espionage:

The Jonathan Pollard Case: A former US Navy intelligence analyst was convicted of supplying vast quantities of classified US military intelligence to Israel, deemed one of the most damaging security leaks in US history.

1. The NSA Data Sharing: Whistleblower documents revealed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) routinely shared raw intelligence data with Israel, which likely contained private communications and data of American citizens.

2. The Franklin/AIPAC Case: An FBI investigation revealed a US Defense Department official passing classified information to pro-Israel lobbyists.

If the intelligence community of Israel is willing to compromise the security and privacy of its closest superpower ally, what assurance does a developing nation like Nigeria have that our critical systems will be protected? Allowing such access is akin to handing the master key to our house to someone who has a confirmed history of using such access to spy on his own family. It opens the door for sabotage, blackmail, and complete compromise of our national defense capability at the pleasure of a foreign power.

Relation to Nigeria-US Tension
This contradictory policy is amplified by recent tensions with the United States. Following the campaign by Cruz and Maher, we are now faced with reports of threats of “fast military action” and the re-inclusion of Nigeria on the US religious freedom “Countries of Particular Concern” list.

When the Nigerian government publicly pushes back on US threats, as it rightly must to protect its sovereignty, these secret security pacts render our diplomatic protests hollow. Our leaders are compelled to condemn the US-led narrative of a “Christian genocide,” yet are simultaneously entering a deeper security embrace with the key US ally that champions that very narrative.

This is the Double Life of Abuja in its most dangerous form: we antagonise the West politically while relying on its closest regional surrogate for security—a position that leaves us vulnerable to pressure from all sides.

The National Assembly, security stakeholders, and all citizens must demand immediate accountability and transparency regarding the full scope of the August 2025 MoUs. The true national interest of Nigeria lies in self-reliance and the consistency of our global principles, not in a dangerous, duplicitous policy that points a finger in the morning and bows to foreign agendas by night.