Nigeria’s Foreign Policy: Impotent, Unfocused And Non-Existent

During the 1970’s and early 80’s Nigeria’s foreign policy was very well articulated and robust, which manifested in its role in the liberation of the remaining colonial enclaves in Africa. She gave material, moral and financial support to the MPLA in its fight against the Portuguese colonizers in Angola.

In Zimbabwe it took the nationalization of British investments in Nigeria to finally get a reluctant Britain to force Prime Minister of then called Rhodesia, Ian Smith to resign and to hand over the reigns of power to Robert Mugabe and the late Thomas Nkomo.

In South Africa, Nigeria spearheaded the fight against the apartheid regime, effectively using the United Nations as its platform of engagement. Gen Joseph Garba , Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister at the time became an effective spokesman both for Nigeria and these African nations . Africa was clearly defined as the corner stone of Nigeria’s foreign policy.

With her leading role in the creation of ECOWAS and her peace keeping role in Liberia, Sierra leone and other places, Nigeria came to be looked upon by other African nations and indeed the International community as the country to talk to when it came to issues relating to Africa. To most African countries, Nigeria was the big brother they could count on in times of trouble. All these were enhanced by a strong economy.

But right at this moment in time one can only describe Nigeria’s disappearance in Africa’s geopolitics as a major geopolitical disaster. The phrase being an accurate description that captures the sense of loss most Nigerians and indeed Africans associate with the post 80’s foreign Policy activism. It is obvious to any discerning observer of world affairs that Nigeria presently plays a very diminished role in world affairs. That the present administration still believes in Nigeria’s pre-eminence in Africa is mere wishful thinking and a delusion.

The emergence of South Africa as a force in African Politics has rendered that thinking obsolete. The new world order as it relates to Africa no longer meant an arrangement between un-equals. Most African countries no longer look up to Nigeria, rather what they see is Nigeria’s arrogance and most of her actions as a reflexive expression of an outmoded imperial mentality, mostly intended to exhibit a foreign policy stature she no longer has.

We have seen our influence wane in the world and in Africa as one of the players in the great game of influence. As a matter of fact as South Africa continues to pour massive amount of money in the silk- road economic belt infrastructure project and emerging as the biggest player in the African continent, Nigeria on the other hand is in the throes of an identity crisis.

It has neither integrated into the liberal order or built its own viable alternative. It’s is true that since the assumption of the Presidency by Buhari Nigeria has achieved some success in its quest to regain some of her lost International stature and relevance. But it is difficult to say whether these gains will prove lasting. Nigeria’s long term challenge is finding a credible role in the new multi-polar environment. Her failure to develop a cohesive economic strategy threatens the long term sustainability of her newly fairly restored status.

Fast forward to 2016, Nigeria seems to have lost her foreign policy shine. Unlike the 70’s when Joseph Garba as Foreign Affairs Minister was a household name, very few Nigerians today if asked could name who Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister is. The man is so irrelevant. Not with the president making all the Foreign trips and attending every foreign conference himself as if the position of a Foreign Affairs Minister does not exist.

Today the ambitions of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy in the late 70’s and early 80’s has receded to the point of non-existence. Today Nigeria is haunted by a stagnant economy and relative impotence in the sphere of International affairs. Its true Nigeria still remains the most populous country in Africa but the extent of a country’s population size matters less for great power status these days than human capital and economic dynamism.

Nigeria’s dollar dominated GDP which peaked a couple of years ago has now dropped significantly, thanks to the falling oil prices. All these notwithstanding Nigeria has the dubious distinction of being one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and its resource extracting , rent seeking economic system has reached a dead end. Meanwhile the geographical environment in Africa has become more challenged over time with the increasing supremacy and dramatic rise of South Africa.

The truth however is that under the present dispensation, Nigeria’s foreign policy seems to have been overtaken by unbridled personalities which tends to render decision making on Nigeria’s Foreign policy strategy opaque and potentially capricious, for it to end conflicting state interests with the political fortunes of one person. As I once stated in a previous article, Nigeria’s Foreign policy decision making is uncoordinated.

Policies are now made from the top and passed down a ‘power vertical” to the Foreign Minister. The Foreign Minister is always not sure of how to proceed on any foreign policy matter. He waits for instruction from Aso Rock and even when he gets it, he has only a vague idea of what he is supposed to do. A good example is the recent vote of British citizens to exit the European Union.

Nigeria’s response to that vote came from the President. That is not to say the president has no right to speak on the issue, it’s just that the Foreign Affairs Minister, whatever his name is should have followed it up with a full explanation of Nigeria’s view on the issue in relation to how that vote affects British-Nigerian relations and its impact or perceived consequences to all members of the British commonwealth. As usual and as expected he said nothing.

Nigeria’s current leadership continues to make the country bear the burden of a truculent and independent Foreign Policy that is beyond the country’s means and has produced few positive results. The temporary high gained by garnering the support of the United States and Britain in its fight against Boko Haram and the peaceful transfer of power should not obscure the severity of Nigeria’s recurrent bind –one of which weakness and grandeur combine to produce a leadership that tries to leap forward by concentrating power, which results in a worsening of the very strategic dilemma they are supposed to be solving. It is true that the election of Buhari helped rescue a failing nation and rising corrupt practices, it however appears the country has been put back on a trajectory of stagnation and even possible failure.

While the new administration has repeatedly announced the dire necessity of prioritizing economic and human development, two necessary ingredients of Foreign Policy, they still shrink from the far reaching internal restructuring necessary to make that happen, such as the a stable political order, a competent and accountable Government, a real civil service, a genuine national Assembly, a professional and impartial Judiciary, a professional media, a well -articulated economic policy, a seasoned well trained police force, A-political military, and a vigorous non-political non-vindictive crack- down on corruption. Instead they continue to pour resources and effort into the fight against corruption, though a noble venture with only a few, if any so far actually going to jail.

Right now a stable and peaceful political environment is one of uncertainty and chaos, not with Boko Haram, the marauding herdsmen and the emergence of different militant groups in the oil rich Delta area. With such political instability how can Nigeria be an effective spokesman for Africa in the International arena, one may ask? How can we advocate for international peace and stability when we cannot keep the peace in our own backyard?

Yet instead of calling for peace and dialogue some in this administration were advocating for force as if the use of force has ever solved anything. Luckily better counsel has prevailed for now and the Government is talking about dialogue. But then on the other hand the President does not seem to want to extend the same olive branch and the need for dialogue with the Biafra agitators but instead tried to dismiss their grievances by reminding them of the number of people who died in the last civil war. A comment some have come to interpret as a threat. History informs us however that in most cases of self -determination the people who started the quest are not usually the ones who eventually brought it to fruition or reality.

It is usually people who were born long after the fact and this is because the essence and spirit of any struggle for self- determination is in the hearts and souls of the agitators. The point I am trying to make is that there is no way we can thrive in the arena of international politics or an effective foreign policy player or be taken seriously at international for a when we have such intransigent problems unresolved at home.

Again it is doubtful if Nigeria will make any significant gains in its economy before 2019 when the next Presidential elections will take place, in order to avoid any problems that will complicate her quest for International relevance. Nigeria’s economy is struggling but hardly in a free fall. The country should be able to muddle through for another two years, but the economic agenda will inevitably rise to the fore before that election. Political turbulence will almost certainly continue to roil the country.

There will probably be an increased agitation for Biafrexit but without a much stronger economic base the gap between Nigeria’s foreign policy ambitions and her capacity to be of some international relevance will grow. This could inspire a sharper focus on domestic needs –but it could also produce more risk gambling abroad.

Nnanna Ijomah is a New York based Political Science lecturer and a former Special Assistant to the late Ikemba Nnewi, the late Chief Emeka Ojukwu.

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Articles by Nnanna Ijomah