TABLE OF CONTENT
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
CERTIFICATION
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the Study
- Statement of Research Problems
- Objectives of the study
- Research Questions
- Significance of the study
- Scope and limitation of the Study
- Operational definition of terms
CHAPTER TWO
Nigeria's Foreign Policy from 1960-1966
2.1 Origin of Nigeria's Foreign Policy
2.2 Nigeria's Foreign Policy under Tafawa Balewa
2.3 Nigeria's Foreign Policy towards Great Britain
Endnotes
CHAPTER THREE
Nigeria's Foreign Policy from 1966-1975
3.1 Nigeria's Foreign Policy during Gowon's administration in 1966
3.2 Nigeria's Foreign Policy Civil war and Experience therefrom
3.3 Nigeria's Foreign Policy towards Nigeria's Immediate neighbors
Endnotes
CHAPTER FOUR
Nigeria's Foreign Policy from 1975-1979
4.1 Nigeria's Foreign Policy under Murtala/Obsanjo
4.2 Introduction to Presidential system
4.3 Nigeria's Foreign Policy under Shehu Shagari
Endnotes
CHAPTER FIVE
Summary, recommendations and conclusion
5.1 Summary
5.2 Recommendation
5.3 Conclusion
Abstract
Nigeria’s foreign policy as being chameleon in nature, a foreign policy constantly in a state of flux as a result of internal and external dynamics inherent in any given administration or regime. In the case of Nigeria, the formation of Nigeria’s foreign policy has gone through 14 different administrations through the external affairs ministry in the past 53 years, out of which 35 years were during military regimes. Consequently, there has been a plethora of conceptual, ideological and psychological postulations of policies in Nigeria’s foreign policy machinery, most of which were born out of a crave and selfish hunger for an identity that would leave a lasting impression about the various administrations or regimes in question While adopting the traditional critical methods of analysis in philosophy to analyze relevant data, archival materials, texts and the major conceptual and ideological constructs proposed as foundations which upholds the main trusts of Nigeria’s foreign policy, the study shall strive to show via contextual and conceptual analysis of all the data collected for the study, the reason for policy failure and abandonment in Nigeria’s foreign policy machinery
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Since 1960 when Nigeria got her political independence from the British colonial masters, notable about her diplomatic attitude has been the making of the African continent her focus, especially in the areas of enthronement of democracy and peace. This philosophy is derived from the fact of an African adage, which says that when tears fall from the eyes, the nose responds by sneezing. Literally speaking, apart from the philosophy of the „brother‟s keeper‟ which Nigeria has created for herself, it should also be noted that when any of her neighbouring countries, especially in the West African sub-region, has crisis, the Nigerian economy and political landscape are equally affected. Instances of this can be found in the era of Ghana‟s economic down-turn in 1980‟s and within 10 years, the civil conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone; which resulted in the influx of a large number of refugees into Nigeria. These, therefore, induced Nigeria‟s foreign policy formulators to see the need, not only to be steadfastly involved in policies aimed at maintaining peace and tranquility on the African continent in general, but in the West African sub-region in particular Nigeria shares common land borders with the Republic of Benin at the west, Chad and Cameroon at the east, Niger at the north, and the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea, at the south. Since December 12, 1991, her capital has been the centrally located city of Abuja. Hitherto, the Federal capital was the city of Lagos. With estimated 150 million population, Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 after a 33-year military intrusion. From 1966 to 1999, Nigeria was ruled [except for the brief Second Republic which lasted between 1979 and 1983] by the military who seized power in coups d'état and counter-coups. According to Okochi (1990), on accomplishing political independence Nigeria made the emancipation and renewal of the African dignity the centre-piece of her foreign policy, thus deciding to play a foremost role in the fight against apartheid in South Africa; Nigeria's foreign policy was tested in the 1970s after the country had emerged united, following a civil war which raged from 1967 to 1970. The Nigerian nation is known as one, whose foreign policy is essentially tailored to reflect her commitment to the well-being of all African countries; particularly in the areas of peaceful coexistence, prevention of violent conflicts – at intra-national and international levels – restoration of peace where necessary; and maintenance of peace all over the world. For the purpose of this thesis, it is necessary to attempt a search into the rationale behind Nigeria‟s decision to make Africa the cornerstone of her foreign policy, since, according to J.A. Price in his book Political Institutions in West Africa, “the foreign policy of a State is liable to reflect the State‟s personality, but foreign policy cannot be developed in a completely arbitrary manner, since policy is bound to be affected by many considerations concerned with the circumstances and internal problems of the State.” A country‘s foreign policy consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within the international relations milieu. It is the aggregate of a country’s national interest which results from the interaction of internal and external forces as perceived by the foreign policy decision makers. The approaches used are strategically employed to interact with other countries. In recent times however, due to the deepening level of globalization and transnational activities, relations and interactions have been known to exist between state and non- state actors in the international political arena. These relations in their own way have influenced several foreign policies between nation states.
Nigeria’s foreign policy since independence has been viewed from different perspectives (Aluko, 1981); Macridis (1985), Anyaele, (2005) in recent times. One of the most prevailing perspectives of her foreign policy is that “it is chameleon in nature”, (Anyaele, 2005) a foreign policy constantly in a state of flux as a result of internal and external dynamics inherent in any given administration or regime. Some writers however maintained that irrespective of the frequent changes, the substance of Nigeria’s foreign policy has remained the same. Foreign policy is the category of actions a government takes which deals with defense, security, international political relations and international economic relations. It is the activity whereby a State deals with other States, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and certain individuals. Thus, Frankel (1978) defines foreign policy as: a range of actions, as well as a set of principles influencing these actions, taken with reference to external situations and factors… the summation of thoughts, actions and principles on external affairs taken by decision-makers with the intention of achieving long-range goals and shortterm objectives. Using the irreducible minimum and fundamental components, foreign policy consists of two elements: national objectives to be achieved and the means for achieving them. According to Pham (2007), the interaction between national goals and the resources for attaining them is the perennial subject of statecraft. In its ingredients the foreign policy of all nations, great and small, is the same. In short, the shaping of foreign policy is a dynamic process involving the interaction between a country’s internal and external environments. The one propels the other.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Since independence Nigeria has been engaged in the struggle to come to terras with the legacy of its historical development, colonial circumstance and contemporary socio-political precepts. We have argued that, in seeking to come to terms with the realities of this predicament, Nigeria has consciously sought to manifest a perceptional image of national unity that concurrently shields the domestic stability from external demands and maximizes the country's imporance in African affairs (and by implication, world affairs). Historically, Nigeria has been intimately involved in the main trends of the African continent. As Stremla has suggested : Nigeria's self-avowed political interests related almost exclusively to the changing conditions in Africa. In the broadest sense, Nigerian leaders viewed their country's international prestige as a function of the extent to which Nigeria was considered a leader of black Africa. It is in view of the above that the researcher intends to examine the dynamism of Nigeria foreign policy in retrospect.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this study is to examine the dynamism of Nigeria foreign policy, but to aid the completion of the study, the researcher put forward the following specific objectives;
- i) To examine the effect of Nigeria foreign policy on Nigeria's international relation
- ii) To examine how effective has Nigeria foreign policy aid in the development of regional integration
iii) To examine the relationship between Nigeria foreign policy before the civil war and post-civil war
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION
The following research questions were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study;
- i) What are they effect of Nigeria foreign policy on Nigeria's international relation?
- ii) How effective is Nigeria foreign policy in the development of regional integration?
iii) Is there any relationship between Nigeria foreign policy before the civil war and post-civil war?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
It is believed that at the completion of the study, the findings will be of significance to the ministry of foreign affairs as the findings will aid them in policy review and formulation that will be beneficial to Nigeria's in diaspora, the study will also be of great importance to the various government ministry and parastatals as the study seek to examine the various dynamics and the changes in the policy of various regime and administrations in Nigeria. The study will also be useful to researchers who intend to embark on a study in a similar topic as the study will serve as a reference point to further study. Finally, the study will be of great importance to students, teachers, lecturers, researchers and academia as the study will contribute to the pool of existing literature and also add to knowledge in the subject matters
1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study covers the dynamics of the Nigerian foreign policy, but in the cause of the study, there are some factors that limited the scope of the study;
- a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study
- b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.
- c) Finance: Limited Access to the required financed was a major constrain to the scope of the study.
1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
Dynamics
Dynamics is the branch of classical mechanics concerned with the study of forces and their effects on motion. Isaac Newton defined the fundamental physical laws which govern dynamics in physics, especially his second law of motion.
Foreign policy
Foreign Policy is an American news publication, founded in 1970 and focused on global affairs, current events, and domestic and international policy. It produces content daily on its website, and in six print issues annually
International relation
International Relations is an Increasingly Relevant Field of Study. International Relations is becoming increasingly relevant as the world grows more and more interconnected through trade and commerce, migration, the internet and through social media, and concerns about pressing global environmental problems.
Endnote
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