ABSTRACT

          Nigeria’s foreign policy under General Ibrahim Babangida was one in which Nigeria played active role in the crises in West African sub-region especially Liberia and Sierra-Leone.  Nigeria’s involvement in the internal affairs of other countries got rekindled in 1988.  First was to settle the border conflict between Burkina Faso and Mali.  In this instance, Nigeria brokered a peace agreement acceptable to both sides but which was frustrated by France using Code d’ivore.

          Nigeria renewed interest in global and African affairs throughout the period of General Babangida.  Nigeria’s foreign minister shuttled between Tripoli and Abidjan each time there crises in Africa who are French speaking people.  Nigeria negotiated more with former colonial powers than the country that crisis is emanating from.  Our former colonial masters still exercise much influence than the other African countries.

          Today, Nigeria has responded to virtually all the calls by the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS and other bodies for peace and conflict resolution.

          Also, Nigeria has as well responded to the calls of distress by countries that are undergoing one natural disaster or the other.  Nigeria recently demonstrated such swift response by providing aids to earthquake ridden Chile and Haiti.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page                                                                                                                  i

Certification                                                                                                                        ii

Dedication                                                                                                               iii

Acknowledgement                                                                                     iv

Abstract                                                                                                                    vii

Table of Contents                                                                                                   ix

CHAPTER ONE:    INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of Study                                                                                 1

1.2       Statement of Problem                                                                               6

1.3       Objective of Study                                                                                      7

1.4       Research Proposition/Hypothesis                                                         8

1.5       Significance of Study                                                                                9

1.6       Scope and Limitations of Study                                                 9

1.7       Research Methodology                                                                             10

References                                                                                                                11

CHAPTER TWO:

Literature Review and Theoretical Framework                                             13

References                                                                                                                25

CHAPTER THREE

3.1       Nigeria’s Foreign Policy under the Military                                       26

3.2       Nigeria’s foreign Policy 1966 – 1975                                                     33

3.3       Foreign Policy in the Second Republic                                      37

3.4       Nigeria in Chad                                                                                          39

3.5       Cameroon – Nigeria Border Dispute                                                    46

3.6       Nigeria’s Foreign Policy 1983 – 1985                                                    56

References                                                                                                                59

CHAPTER FOUR
Nigeria’s Foreign Policy under Gen. Ibrahim
Badamosi Babangid                                                                                               60

4.1       Chadian Crisis                                                                                            61

4.2       The Liberian Crisis                                                                         61

4.3       Sudanese Crisis                                                                                           64

4.4       Nigeria – Cameroon Crisis                                                                      65

4.5       Nigeria – France Relations                                                                      66

4.6       Nigeria and International Creditors                                                     68

4.7       Nigeria and Peace keeping Operation                                                  70

4.8       Babangida and Samuel Doe                                                                    75

4.9       Nigeria’s Relations with North and South                                          76

4.10    Nigeria and the Rest of Africa                                                                77

4.11    Nigeria and the Major Powers                                                                78

4.12    Nigeria and International Organisations                                            79

References                                                                                                                82

CHAPTER FIVE

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations                                              83

5.1       Summary                                                                                                      83

5.2       Conclusion                                                                                                   84

5.3       Recommendations                                                                                     84

Bibliography                                                                                                            86

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1             BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY’

Africa as noted by Chaplan (1966:376), “is an important strategic arena in contemporary world politics”.  Osuntokun (1999:19) argues further “being the most populous black country in the world, Nigeria is being compelled to shoulder willingly and unwillingly the leadership of the black world.  This led to Nigeria’s feeling that she had a responsibility far beyond her borders as noted by Joe Nanven Garba…”  In all our dealings with international organisations we are guided not by selfish national interests, but a high sense of responsibility and concern for countries (particularly in Africa) whose needs in some respect are greater than ours”.

Ambassador Jolaoso stated further that Africa has always been the centre-piece of Nigeria’s foreign policy, with West Africa being the most crucial sector of this piece.  He further stated that since foreign policy, represents the initiatives or responses by a country to issues which directly affect the interest of the country to that extent, it is related to the domestic as well as the international system.

Aghahowa (2007:59) posits that “the nature of man compels interaction and mutual dependence.  According to him, man cannot survive in isolation, therefore, the associational tendencies of man manifest locally, nationally and globally.