Nigerian Foreign Policy Under President Muhammadu Buhari From 2015-2020
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The main objectives of this study is to investigate the Nigerian Foreign Policy Under President Muhammadu Buhari From 2015-2020.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
This chapter discusses various factors that influence foreign policy formulation which are termed conditioning factors. It further explains the intricacies of the foreign policy process which include individual level analysis the impact of people as individuals or as species on policy; state level analysis show the organization and operation of a government affect policy, and system level analysis the external realities and pressures that influence a country’s policy. The chapter highlights the foreign policy making actors in the international system, and articulates the authority that is saddled with responsibility of making Nigeria’s foreign policy. In order therefore, to bring out an objective and balanced justification on this work, a theoretical framework based on social constructivism is adopted.
NATIONAL INTEREST
The ultimate objective of any nation’s foreign policy is the pursuit and protection of its national interests. National interest, according to Obiozor (1998) is the beginning and the end of foreign policy. It is employed to describe, explain or evaluate the source or the adequacy of a nation’s foreign policy. It also serves as a means of justifying, denouncing or proposing policies. National interest is actually examining what is best for the nation in particular instance, what is best for the nation in the foreign policy. The concept is rooted in the priority of national values.
Every country of the world has its needs and priorities. Hence there are belief systems and sets of coherent ideas which every country uses in understanding and explaining its foreign policy as well as in ordering and regulating its affairs with other nations. The foreign policy of any nation is a reflection of its domestic reality. This begins with the identification and articulation of national interest. Yakubu (2011:4) submits that “national interest is the key concept in foreign policy, the foundation of any state‟s foreign policy, and the main reason or justification for foreign policy”.
Ayeni – Akeke (2008:343) defines National Interest as “a mix of relatively stable and clear values, ideas, convictions, goals and concerns on which the authorities of a nation-state are likely to base their policies and actions toward other states and forces in its external environment”. He further refers to it as the goals that the elite groups of each state think that their country should strive to achieve in its interactions with other states in the international arena.
Foreign policy and national interest are inseparable concepts in international relations and indeed, the foundation of a state‟s foreign policy is her National Interest which in turn directs the course of the foreign policy. The concept of national interest has continued to play a significant role in the foreign policies of sovereign states. A state‟s foreign policy is not operated in vacuum. The main policy instrument in the conduct of foreign policy is the promotion and pursuit of national interest. Ogwu (1986:7), thus defines national interest as the totality or the aggregate of interests of individuals and groups within a given nation state. She further stressed that, “national interest encompasses the various strategies employed in the international interactions of states in order to ensure the preservation of the stated goal of society”.
Ka‟oje (1994:78) defines national interest as “the aggregate of the principal demands of a country’s citizens for such core values as economic and social welfare, national security, social justice and good government”. In political discourse, national interest serves two primary purposes – as an analytical tool, and as an instrument of political action. As an analytical tool, it serves as a conceptual guide by providing the objectives often considered by a state while weighing and intended foreign policy options. As an instrument of political action, it serves to justify or repudiate a state‟s foreign option and action in the international system. This explains the interconnectedness of foreign policy and national interest. The concept of national is so deeply interwoven with that of foreign policy that Morgenthau (1973:6) stated “no nation can have true guide as to what it must do and what it needs to do in foreign policy without accepting national interest as that guide”.
Therefore, national interest can be described as a guide to the formulation of foreign policy. It is not an end in itself but a means to an end. In other words, it is a method of reaching a goal; and in formulating such goals, core values and national ethos must be considered. In his address to the conference of Nigeria’s foreign policy held at Kuru in 1986, President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida aggregated the conception of Nigeria’s national interest thus:
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CHAPTER THREE
NIGERIA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS UNDER PRESIDENT BUHARI IN VIEW
The Buhari administration was under no illusion that it could solve the multiplicity of problems confronting Nigeria without concrete engagement with the international community. Though not comparable in terms of frequency and number of times as was with President Obasanjo in his first term of office, nonetheless President Buhari equally embarked on high-power ‘Shuttle
Diplomacy’ in his first year of assumption of office. The purpose of the shuttles, which have been at both bilateral and multilateral levels are tied to solving the domestic challenges of economic recovery, insecurity and fight against corruption.
Shortly after assumption of office, the President undertook a tour of member-states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission in West Africa that are equally affected by the activities of Boko Haram. For the purpose, the President also visited France because of France’s interest in West Africa, as a result of the close affinities with her former colonies. The visits were meant to seek collaboration, cooperation and the assistance of the various governments in tackling the Boko Haram menace. In line with the government’s determination, the Boko Haram terror issue featured prominently in the president’s discussion with the US authorities on his official visit to America. In the final analysis, the contacts made with various governments yielded result in the mould of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) (Assanvo et al. 2016). At present, the Boko Haram terrorist group has been seriously decimated (Somorin 2016), with its existence hinged only on attacks on ‘soft’ targets.
In the attempt to tackle Nigeria’s economic problems, the president has been visible on the world stage, attempting to sell Nigeria as a haven of business opportunities to governments and corporations around the world. Indeed, the president has left the space wide open by not discriminating against any part of the world, either on the basis of ideology or religion. In the search for FDI, the president has made both bilateral and multilateral visits to Europe (France, Germany, Britain), the US, China, United Arab Emirate, Saudi Arabia, amongst many other countries. Some of the efforts have generated visible results, for instance, “the secured commitments for investments worth $6billion from the Chinese government and private companies most of whom signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian government as well as private com- panies” (Akwaya 2016).
CHAPTER FOUR
NIGERIA FOREIGN POLICY AND BILATERAL SECURITY RELATIONS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES UNDER MUHAMMADU BUHARI
President Muhammadu Buhari won the election the 2015 election by defeating the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan. The election which was conducted on March 28, 2015, saw the former military leader returning to power, making him the second Nigeria’s former military leader elected under a democratic rule. Factors which contributed to President Buhari success at polls could be attributed to the failure of the former government to deal decisively with the Boko Haram terrorism which was badly affected Nigeria’s image in the international community. President Buhari hinged his campaign promises on three cardinal points which include, Combating Terrorism, Fighting Corruption and Improving on the economy.
As stated earlier, foreign policy under a democratic government involves a lot stages for planning and execution. The main foreign policy under president Buhari government includes improving relations with its neighbors in order to jointly fight Boko Haram which assumed a multinational or transnational dimension, partner with US and other world power to support the government in order to fight terrorism by providing needed manpower and intelligence, and more importantly improvement of economy and fighting corruption, improved relations with China in order to foster economic development through provision of needed infrastructure.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY,CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
Based on the findings, the study can be summarized as follow;
- In five years of the administration of Buhari, the government has been able to improve its foreign relations with Nigeria neighbours which are ECOWAS and LAKE CHAD Commission members. These as also helped the government achieved some level of success in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency which has taken an international dimension.
- Buhari administration has been able to forge important diplomatic and economic relations with China, which is a growing economic powerhouse in the global economy. This relation has provided the country with needed funds to cushion the effect of the infrastructural deficit. This provided the nation needed foreign direct
- On the international scene, Nigeria has gained more respect under Buhari administration this is largely attributed to his personality and committed fight against corruption and insecurity in the country. This was evident at the invitation of President Buhari to G7 meeting immediately after he was sworn
- President Buhari assumed leadership in negotiation for the peaceful return of democratically elected government in the Gambia. Recently President Buhari was appointed to lead AU anti-corruption drive in the
- Unlike his predecessor, President Buhari was able to improve relations between Nigeria and the United States which has led to improving collaboration in the fight against Boko Haramand corruption which has become endemic in the country.
Conclusion
From all indications, the Nigerian government is under pressure to fulfil its campaign promises. The foreign policy initiatives of the Buhari ad- ministration has been critical in seeking panaceas to the numerous domestic challenges in Nigeria. Nigeria must however not shy away from its responsibil- ities towards the African continent, because the country’s destiny is tied to the growth and development of the continent. It is acknowledged that Nigeria plays a leadership role in West Africa, however, the leadership role must be ‘force- fully’ extended to the rest of the continent. Literature is awash with Nigeria’s enviable role in the political and economic development of Africa in the 1970s, President Obasanjo attempted a re-enactment of the feat in the 2000s, but sub- sequent regimes did not follow up on the achievements recorded. This is the time for the Buhari administration to step up and be counted.
Recommendations:
Nigeria’s foreign policy is the continuation of her domestic policy. It is a policy that is formulated internally and projected externally. Therefore, the domestic environment needs to be properly developed in order for it to have a positive impact on its external projection.
Okafor (2004) stresses that “the interest of Nigeria should be the first in whatever area we are intervening or in our interaction with Africa or the outside world”.In their opinion, Nwosu and Adeniyi (2011) noted that for Nigeria to be relevant in the new realities in international relations, the focus of her foreign policy should stand on two principles: The Principle of Reciprocity; and Economic Diplomacy. The principle of reciprocity should remain the guiding principle in our international trade and politics. Nations should assist one another without strings. They noted that, it is unsustainable contradiction to provide financial and material assistance to nations that later show hostility to our interests and citizens. In addition, Nigeria should pursue an aggressive economic diplomacy, as a dependent economy cannot pursue an aggressive foreign policy.
For the Citizen Diplomacy to succeed therefore, it must be backed up with the sincerity of purpose and approach to Nigeria’s problems at home. Adejumo (2007) posits that, “it is not good enough to know that after fifty years as a nation (blessed with various kinds of human and material resources), our people are still wallowing in abject poverty and desperation, while our leaders are looting the treasuries all over the country and living unimaginable expensive lifestyles and spiriting the loot out of Nigeria and depositing it in the countries we are trying to impose this citizen diplomacy on”.
Nigeria must develop an agenda of engagement. This would entail creating a mechanism to investigate and deal with any diverse publicity reports relating to Nigeria. This would help in identifying and collating all incidents of adverse publicity. Operational directions for Nigerian Missions abroad must be formulated, issued and implemented worldwide within Nigerian High Commissions and Embassies. Resources must be made available for this purpose. In addition, there should be enhanced monitoring of the mission‟s activities to ensure that identified objectives are met.
As pointed out by Mato (2009), Nigerian Missions abroad especially in those countries where Nigerians are facing difficulties due to the behavior of few disgruntled citizens must step up effort to discourage those who are dubious and encourage hard work, dignity and honest living. Nigerians abroad must be sensitized to the peculiar responsibilities of nationalism.
We believe that the introduction of Citizen Diplomacy in Nigeria is desirable, noteworthy and must be pursued. It is a policy thrust that is inherently proactive, decidedly dynamic and conceived to protect Nigerian citizens‟ rights wherever they choose to live. Rather than ventilate unproductive drawbacks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be encouraged and supported, using incisive critical appraisal not as a tool to denigrate but as an encouragement.
The Federal Government should study Nigeria’s Foreign Policy machinery and try to make it more dynamic, more focused and more responsive to the needs of vibrant citizen diplomacy. Staff of Foreign Affairs Ministry should be given adequate training to perform their duties more effectively, not down-sizing “as canvassed for by the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) on Foreign Relations”. This is an era when we need meticulous planning and deployment of sufficient skills to achieve her goals.
Nigerian foreign policy should be urgently reviewed and re-packaged in the light of the new realities of the globalized world order, to make it more efficient, responsive, dynamic and proactive, based on citizen diplomacy. Citizen Diplomacy, a noteworthy proactive policy thrust, if well articulated and pursued with passion could lead to better management and allocation of resources to meet the pressing needs of Nigerian citizens everywhere. The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be wholeheartedly encouraged and supported, using incisive, critical appraisal not as a tool to denigrate but as a source of encouragement, advice and information.
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