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Journal VOL. 2 NO. 1, June. 2021, ISSN: 2714 - 4054

 

Nigeria and Her Unsustainable Diplomatic Gains: A Focus on the Fourth Republic

Saliu Hassan Ajisafe

 

ABSTRACT

Nigeria emerged on the world scene with a lot of trepidation. The Balewa government that ushered her into independence was cautious in its interactions with the rest of the world. This tendency for tentativeness has been descended upon by authors on Nigerian foreign policy who have taken a swipe on the country's foreign policy under the government. The climate of little impact on external relations however received a rude shock from the Murtala and the Obasanjo governments when the two regimes pursued an activist foreign policy agenda for Nigeria. However, the desirable tradition set by the regimes in Nigerian foreign policy was played down by the Shagari civilian government in the early 1980s. This has continued up till the present except for the tokenism witnessed under the Babangida and the second Obasanjo governments. This paper therefore seeks to examine why the country has not been able to sustain the tradition of activist and dynamic foreign policy pursuits. Both primary and secondary data have guided the effort. It concludes that the downturn being witnessed in the foreign sector of the country is borne out of the little appreciation shown to the platform of foreign policy. To reverse this trend, the strategic importance of foreign policy in modern times needs to be recognised and appreciated by the country's leadership.

 

Keywords: Nigeria, unsustainable gains, external relations and fourth republic

 

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