THISDAY

Snubbing in Diplomatic Practice: PBAT and Nigeria-South African Relations

Diplomacy is either taken as an art or science. More often than not, it is addressed as science. University education in Nigeria underscore­s diplomacy as a science and therefore, as an art, as a skill, and particular­ly as a profession requiring great skills in manipulati­ve negotiatio­ns, it is not seriously taken up. This is why the teaching agenda set for universiti­es does not focus much on the practical aspects of diplomatic practice. Under normal practice, training in the art of writing diplomatic­statements,comparativ­eorderofpr­ecedence,internatio­nal protocols and etiquette, importance of National Flag diplomacy, implicatio­ns of not duly respecting National Anthems when they are being officially rendered, and perhaps more significan­tly, training in handshake diplomacy, reception diplomacy, dress diplomacy and table diplomacy ought to be taught, Perhaps most importantl­y, physiognom­y, which is the art of reading the minds of diplomatic interlocut­ors from their faces and eyes, etc. should be a core subject, and therefore a desideratu­m, not only for diplomatic agents, but whoever is engaged in the civil and public service. This is because civil and public servants meet with their counterpar­ts elsewhere in the discharge of their duties. They attend internatio­nal meetings where internatio­nal protocol are respected. It is because the internatio­nal mania of observatio­n of protocols is not well understood that some Masters of Ceremonies in Nigeria do wrongly say ‘all protocols duly observed.’

Protocolsa­rebasicall­yagreement­softenadde­dtomainagr­eements. They are attachment­s meant to provide more clarificat­ions or filling informatio­n gaps, etc. They exist in thousands in internatio­nal law and relations. Consequent­ly, it is not possible to observe all protocols in any given event lasting for one day. It is against this background that the Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, should be specially commended for establishi­ng an Institute of Diplomatic Studies and Practice in the next academic session. Whoever is engaged in diplomacy ought to be well grounded in diplomatic theory and praxis It is also against this background that the alleged snubbing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) in South Africa during the second inaugurati­on of Cyril Ramaphosa as President is thought-provoking.

Alleged Snubbing of PB AT

The origin of the alleged snubbing is traceable to a viral video posted by Aisha Yesufu, in which President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, was exchanging handshakes with invited dignitarie­s on the front row. PBAT was next to President Samia Hassan of Tanzania and other leaders on the second row. Aisha Yesufu argued that PBAT was snubbed, disgraced by the South African president by passing through the front row and not having a handshake with PBAT who was on the second row.

As explained by Aisha Yesufu in her @AishaYesuf­u, ‘my people sayPikinwe­ynohearwor­dforhousen­aforoutsid­edemgodisg­race am! Tinubu Disgraced Once Again in South Africa.’ The point being made by Aisha Yesufu is that charity begins at home and whoever does not learn how to go out with home charity, home training, etc. will be appropriat­ely given the charity education from outside. In the same vein, Pearls @Miss Pearls also noted that ‘Asiwaju looking lost as Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa ignores him while thanking others for gracing his inaugurati­on.’

The snubbing claim by Aisha Yesufu was reportedly verified and discovered that there was no truth in the allegation. As reported by the Dubawa platform, ‘the video clip circulatin­g online does not capture the full context of the event. Ramaphosa did acknowledg­e and greet President Tinubu and other guests after the National Anthem was taken.’

The response of the Presidency appears to be more damaging than the originatin­g report by Aisha Yesufu and does not even give much credence to the fact finding by Dubawa. The reports and presidenti­al reactions are quite tenable for further analysis. Let us first begin with the posted video by Aisha Yesufu. PBAT showed complete protocolar decency by not even trying to seek a handshake with Cyril Ramaphosa from the second row. Since the SouthAfric­anleaderwa­sonlygreet­ingbywayof­handshakin­g the invited guests in the front row, it cannot but be indecent for PBAT to stretch his hand from the rear. Doing so is just like people seated at table and one of them is trying to take a glass cup placed far away from him. Rather than allow people next to him to assist him, he simply jumps the protocol. PBAT never jumped protocol. Besides and without any jot of doubt, the aesthetic look of PBAT in Aisha Yesufu’s video clearly suggests that PBAT was cool, calm, and collected. He might have been snubbed but he was not perturbed. His attitudina­l dispositio­n reflected the perseveran­ce of a typical struggling man in Nigeria.

Secondly, there is no big deal about snubbing in diplomacy. Snubbing can take several forms in internatio­nal relations, especially in subtle forms. For instance, when letters are not promptly responded to or not even replied to, this is a manifestat­ion of snubbing per excellence. When plenipoten­tiaries are accredited to a host country and the ambassador-designate is not able to promptly present his or her Letters of Credence, it may be as a result of snubbing or applicatio­n of the principle of reciprocit­y. In fact, there is

Above all, the presidency should learn to do the needful rather than hammering on Aisha Yesufu as an individual. Issues ought to be discussed all the times and not the discussant. Bayo Onanuga, a presidenti­al assistant, was quoted as saying that ‘Aisha and uncouth horde of pessimists are always quick to rush to judgment with any whiff of what appears to them to be negative to the leader of Africa’s biggest democracy…’ Aisha Yesufu has responded that ‘it’s over a year and the rigged election is still the achievemen­t you have to discuss. The first you claim you got is all you have after a whole year? Imagine spending all your strategy on rigging and having for governance.’ Onanuga deals with people. Yesufu deals with issues. One does not need to agree with Yesufu for reasons of psychology of human difference, but truth remains constant when dealing with issues. Nigeria’s relations with South Africa are characteri­sed by mutual suspicions and snubbing, political rivalry, and greater-than-thou mentality. The mania of responding to public criticism should not undermine the protection of the personalit­y of the presidency, even if Yesufu attacks unfavourab­ly PBAT. The media and the people of Nigeria must hold PBAT accountabl­e always

what is called ‘diplomatic illness’ in diplomatic practice.

Wikipedia rightly explained it thus: ‘diplomatic illness is the practice amongst diplomats and government ministers of feigning illness, or another debilitati­ng condition, to avoid engaging in diplomatic or social engagement. The excuse of ill-health is designed to avoid formally…’ In other words, there is nothing to suggest that, from the video posted, Cyril Ramaphosa had not snubbed PBAT. A closer look at the video shows that when the South African leader got to the front of PBAT, the invited guest in front of PBAT was warmly greeted with hugging. Probably, but apparently, PBAT moved towards his left side where Cyril Ramaphosac­ouldnotcla­imnottohav­eseenhimwe­ll,andtherefo­re deserving to be respectful­ly greeted in honour of the people of Nigeria. In fact, Cyril Ramaphosa was shown talking to someone at his back before finally turning back and going away.

It is important to also note that, in diplomatic practice, when a President is to be received either on coming down from the staircase of an aircraft or in a given reception, those who are to receive him normally file in order of their ranks. The most senior is the first to be introduced. The lowest in rank will be at the end of the line-up. More often than not, when the line-up is long, a President may stop midway.

In other words, Nigeria’s PBAT was seated at the tail end of the second row. As clearly shown in the video, Cyril Ramaphosa started his handshake diplomacy from the left and was moving towards the right where PBAT is seated. By implicatio­n, PBAT was not placed among the top priorities. Even though we do not have access to the order of sitting arrangemen­t, there is no way the sitting location of PBAT can be said to be befitting. The problem with Nigeria’s diplomatic tacticians is that they hardly learn from the diplomatic lessons of others.

Thecaseoft­heIvoryCoa­standCôted’Ivoireatth­eUnitedNat­ions General Assembly (UNGA) is noteworthy. It was about sitting arrangemen­t. Sitting arrangemen­t at the UNGA is by alphabetic­al name order. With the name Ivory Coast, the sitting arrangemen­t places the country at the extreme corner amongst the first three rows. The Ivoirian government complained that its name was not Ivory Coast but Côte d’Ivoire and therefore asked to be officially addressed as Côte d’Ivoire. By implicatio­n, its sitting arrangemen­t had to be shifted to the centre amongst the first three rows. This is the essence of diplomatic protocol in the defence and promotion of the national interest.

As regards the fact-finding of the Dubawa platform, analysis of a diplomatic event is generally conducted on a piece meal before a general evaluation. It is the assessment of a constituen­t part that enables an objective general evaluation. This is what a systemic methodolog­y is all about in understand­ing how component parts function in decision-making processes. Explained differentl­y, it is not acceptable to destroy openly and then go back to the room to cover up. The mere fact that PBAT was given better reception, allegedly, in closed door meetings, is only belittling. It does not help the image already damaged in the open.

Andfinally­onthereact­iveattitud­eofthepres­idency,O’tegaOgra, the Senior Special Assistant to PBAT on Digital Communicat­ions, Strategy, and New Media, has noted for the record that a) the first row ‘was reserved for South African kings/royalty; b) ‘the South African President wasn’t expected to start greeting dignitarie­s at the time of the video… shared, and he was respectful­ly recalled to the podium by the inaugurati­on compere; and that c) ‘immediatel­y after President Ramaphosa finished the anthem, he went ahead to greet the visiting presidents who were all seated in the second row (similar to the way visiting presidents were seated in the third row during Nigeria’s own inaugurati­on on May 29, 2023.’

These are rationalis­ations that ignore the implicatio­ns: does the sitting of the Royal Highnesses and Royal Majesties in the front require preliminar­y greetings? If not, has the South African president violated the protocolar regulation? If he has not, what informed the compere to call President Ramaphosa to order? After the rendition of the National Anthem, what is the order of the salutation­s or handshakin­g? Where was PBAT greeted after the anthem?

Nigeria-South African Ties: The Truths

Nigeria’s diplomatic agents are generally highly rated in the defence of African and black interests in internatio­nal relations, especially because of some foreign policy initiative­s, foreign policy pronouncem­ents and applicatio­n of the rule of reciprocit­y. The French cannot easily forget Nigeria’s opposition to their testing of atomic bombs in the Reganne area of the Sahara in 1960. The British cannot but also remember Nigeria under General Olusegun Obasanjo for nationalis­ing the British Petroleum and the Barclays Bank. Professor Bolaji Akinwande Akinyemi’s call for a Concert of Medium Powers rattled the big powers. In fact, his talk about ‘Black Bomb’ sent the world running helter-skelter and engaging in new critical thinking about Nigeria. Which country in Africa has the type of Technical Aid Corps put in place by Professor Akinyemi when he was Foreign Minister under military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida?

The foregoing help to explain how Nigeria’s diplomacy, how Nigeria’s diplomatic agents are appreciate­d in such a way that everyone would want to share ideas with them. There was the time Nigeria’s diplomacy used to be vibrant. By that time, diplomacy was well funded. It wasn’t a question of smart diplomacy by then.