Nigerian Foreign Policy From 1960-2003 “Implications for Present and Future Leaders”

Abstract

We are in a world where states although independent but are interdependent as no state is an isolate, moreso, where no state could provide all her needs, yearnings and aspirations for her teeming population. The idea of foreign policy dates back to antiquity. The state is seen as the major actor in international politics and therefore all the relations of its people, agencies and institutions are reflections of its policy. However, it is interesting to note that people "s natural desire or impulse to travel, trade, do business and maintain religious links are made possible by the state but are sometimes independent of its policy hence sometimes policies are reframmed in line with these impulses. The writer looked at Nigerian foreign policy retrospectively taken into account the national interest based on the socio-political and economic environments at the time under consideration. The author found out that there is always no permanent enemy or friend, rather permanent interest, successive government reframmed our foreign policies accordingly. The researcher observed that foreign policy without crystal clear objectives informed by well defined national interest affects, contradicts and weakens the implementation of our foreign policy option at the time under reference. The author concluded that for our foreign policy to stand the test of time, it must be comprehensively considered in the light of our national interest taking into account the principles and determinants in the light of legal equality of states. This paper relied on secondary sources of materials, global, and national occurrence of events at the time.