BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SOCIETY FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AWARENESS (SIRA)

Society for International Relations Awareness (SIRA) is a leading Foreign Relations Think Tank which was founded in September 2010. It is a non-governmental non-profit oriented and non-partisan civil society organisation established to raise awareness and knowledge of Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike about foreign policy issues particularly as they impact on Nigeria and the Continent of Africa. We are guided in this Mission by one of the noble objectives of the country’s foreign policy enunciated by Prime Minister Abubakar Tarfawa Balewa at the United Nations in 1960.

SIRA is convinced that both the leaders and followers should be sensitised not to remain as bystanders but to appreciate the importance of foreign policy to Nigeria as a country and the entire African Continent. In other words, SIRA is of the view that the contemporary global socio-political order is not one that should be left to the experts alone. Thus SIRA seeks to mobilise every stakeholder behind our global commons. This according to the pioneer President, in the person of Professor Nuhu Yaqub OFR, motivated the setting up of SIRA in September, 2010.

Membership of SIRA cuts across the academics, in institutions of higher learning; members of the diplomatic class, both serving and retired; the comrades in the Labour Movement; journalists on diplomatic beat; members of the security, particularly those in the military and police force, immigration, and customs – whose assignments may involve foreign operations; gender activists; and the general public. We are also either in close contact or partnership with institutions of the Nigerian state as well as non- governmental organisations whose mandates converge on foreign policy activities. These include the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA); the Nigerian Defence College (NDC); the Association of retired Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCORN) and the Association of Foreign Relations Professionals of Nigeria (AFRPN). In a nutshell, SIRA has put in place a membership spread that is unique; and filling a gap that is very broad with open door to all who are interested in making their impact count in the domain of foreign policy formulation and implementation trajectory. Further information on categories and approval of membership is provided in this page. We welcome all those who meet the criteria for membership of SIRA.