Abstract
Foreignanddomesticpolicyissuesarerelatedproductsofthesame
politicalsystem and aredesigned todefineand implementoverall
nationalpurposes.Foreign and domestic policy mustbe mutually
supportingifnationalinterestsaspirationsaretobeachievedinan
atmosphereofpoliticalstability.
TheresearchwascarriedoutontheDomesticstructureandconductof
Nigeria’sForeignPolicyandaCasestudymethodwasadoptedunder
GoodluckJonathanadministration(2010-2015).Thereview ofliterature
on foreign policy and otherrelated materialand the adoption of
“RealistTheory”whichisanchoredoninterestledustotheconclusion
thatNigeria’sseeming inaction during theperiod ofstudy wasan
acknowledgementofthelimitsofitspower.Againstthisbackground
the study concludes that Nigeria’s foreign policy has since
independencebeenconsistentlyguided bythesameprinciplesand
objectives.Nigeria’sForeignPolicy initiativesand actionshavebeen
defined byonefirm and constantvariable,i.e.theprotectionofthe
country’s national interest. As a recommen
INTRODUCTION
1.1BackgroundtotheStudy
Theforeignpolicyofnationsdiffersfrom statetostate.Oneofthe
mainevidenceofstatesindependenceisthecapacityandabilityto
conductanindependentforeignpolicy. Nationsattempttoachieve
differentgoals and objectives in governing theirsovereign entities,
someofthesegoalscanbeachievedbynationsontheirownwhile
someotherscanonlybeachievedwiththehelp andcooperationof
similarentitiesorpoliticalunitsbeyondtheirownborders.
Foreignpolicy,toagreatextentdeterminesstatetostateinteractions
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and relations.Folarin(2014)refersforeignpolicytoaweddingring
withwhichthedomesticcontextofanationsolemnizesitsunionwith
theinternationalcommunity.Nigeria’sforeignpolicy ismainly “afro
centric”.Adetula and Ashiwaju (2011)assertthatthe centrality of
foreign policy in states international relations cannot be over
emphasized;inotherwords,itisthroughforeignpolicythatanationis
abletomakeknownitsappearanceintheglobalstatetoothernations
oftheworld asanindependentstate.Throughforeignpolicytoo,a
statecanalsoestablishitsnationalidentityandaswellpromoteother
nationalsymbols.Foreignpolicyalsoprovidesameansthroughwhich
states are able to identify their friends,establish and cultivate
friendship withothernationsoftheworld.Theforeign policy ofa
nationisareflectionofitsdomesticdemands,needsandaspirations.
A study in Nigeria’s Foreign Policy overtime has quite often
emphasizedthedominanceofitsdomesticcontents.Theinfluenceof
DomesticStructuresonNigeria’sForeignPolicywasmadeobviousto
theinternationalcommunityon1stOctober,1960bythethenPrime
MinisterSirAbubakarTafawa Balewa in an address to theUnited
NationsGeneralAssembly in New York.Heannounced that;Nigeria
doesnotintendtoallyitselfwithanyoftheideologicalpowerblocs
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andNigeriahopestoworkwithotherstatesfortheProgressofAfrica
aswellastoassistinbringingallotherAfricanterritoriestoastateof
Independence.
ItwasassumedthatNigeriawouldplayaleadingroleinthecontinent
of Africa given the domestic nature,country’s size and natural
resources.Otubanjo,(1989)arguedthatNigeriabyvirtueofherlarge
size,hugepopulationand richnaturalendowmenthasalwaysbeen
expected to play a leading role in internationalAfrican Politics.
Nigeria’sforeignpolicyistoalargeextentisaproductofmyriad
forcesandfactorswhichinfluenceandaffectsthechoicesofforeign
policy decision makers.Domestic factors usually reflect in the
internationalarenaandtheexternalforcesaswellhaverepercussions
onthedomesticscene.Thus,therelationshipisDynamic(Irene,2010).
Abubakar,O.SreviewingGambarisaidthat;thefirstphaseofNigerian
Foreign Policy which was in itselfoneofuncertainty and timidity
coincidedwiththeperiodofthefirstrepublic(1960-1965).themajor
issueduring thisperiod wastheofficialforeign policy declaration
itself;theAngloNigerianDefensePact,theCongoCrisisandAfrican
Unity,theRhodesianCrisis,theArabIsraeliantagonism andthesearch
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foracohesivepolicytowardstheMiddleEast.NigeriaoperatedaProwestern Foreign Policy disposition throughout this period. The
conservativenatureinherforeignandexternalrelationswasdictated
byNigerianFederalism whichprofessesthreestrongregionswitha
weak centre.Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa atthattime had a
constitutionalauthoritywhichwasnotalwaysmatchedbythepolitical
powerneeded to override these divergentgroups impingementon
Nigeria’sforeignpolicy.
Nigeria’sforeignpolicy wasfarmoreassertive,neutralistand PanAfricanistduringthisperiod(1960-1965).Theneedtoadjustinorderto
accommodatethecontrastingviewsofgoverningpartiessometimes
madeBalewa’sforeignpolicyanswerabletocriticmssuchaslackingin
consistentimagination and dynamism and charaterrized by Ad-hoc
decisionmakingwhichtendedtobecontradictoryandself-defeating.
ThesecondphaseofNigerianForeignPolicywastheperiodbetween
1966-1975,underwhichalotofchangestookplaceatthedomestic
politicallevel.TheNigerianforeignandexternalrelationwasmarkedby
active,positiveandinfluentialrolesespeciallyintheAfricanContinent.
Thefragilenatureoffederalism wasreplacedbyastrongercentrewith
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12statesandthefederatingunitatthecentre.Themilitaryruleunder
GeneralYakubuGowondrasticallychangedthedimensionofDomestic
PoliticsandNigeria’sForeignPolicy.
Thediscoveryofoilboom aswellhelpedinallowingthecountryplaya
moredecisiveleadership rolein World affairs,as itincreased the
revenueaccruingtothefederalgovernment.TheaftermathoftheBiafra
warexperiencewasalsoinstructiveasthecountrycameup witha
coherentpolicytoherfellow Africancountries.Theintegrativeefforts
ofGowonwiththeformationofECOWASandthefinancialandmoral
assistancetoneighboringWestAfricannationswereremarkable.The
countryplayedafrontlineroleinSouthAfricaproblemsbyincreasing
financialand other assistance to the liberation movement there.
Gowon’sactiveroleinAfricaearnedthecountrythechairmanship of
OAU.
A drastic shiftofforeign policy position was achieved underthe
GeneralMurtala/Obasanjoregime.Thisadministration’sforeignpolicy
posturewascharacterizedbydynamism astheregimesoughttomove
thecountry’sforeignpolicytoamoretrulynon-alignedposition.The
administration’s bold move to recognize MPLA in Angola and the
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memorablespeech to theOAU extraordinary summitconferenceat
AddisAbabainJanuary,1976remainsaremarkableturningpoint.
ThenextphaseofNigeria’sforeignpolicydevelopmentcamewiththe
returntocivilianrule(1979-1983). TheexternalpolicyoftheShagari
administration iscomparableonly tothatoftheBalewa era.Some
scholarsand commentatorsconsidertheSecond Republicashaving
“engendered retrogression”in the country’s foreign policy resulting
from itsPro–Westernpolicy.Forsure,theperiod ofretrogression
beganduringtheObasanjoregimewhenthecountryexperienced a
“returntosubservience”Themajorfactorexplainingtheretrogressive
natureofthecountry’sforeignpolicyduringtheperiodisfoundinthe
characteroftheleadership.TheNationalPartyofNigeria(NPN)was
madeup ofthemostaristocratic,conservativebusinessmen and a
sprinkle ofacademicians ofthe same mould.Mostofthem have
economicandsociallinkswiththeeliteoftheWesternWorldevenifat
a peripherallevel.Thisamong othersmadeitdifficultforthem to
formulate an independentforeign policy which mightnecessitate
occasionaldisagreementwiththeWesternpowers.
Therewasrecoursetotheoldorderofpassiveandreactionaryposture
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inNigerianForeignPolicyasmanifestedinthecountry’spolicyonthe
ChadianCrisis,OAUandECOWAS.Itwasthelackoffocusandinability
of the regime to respond to the various domestic demands that
precipitatedthecollapseofthe2ndRepublicwiththeoverthrowofthe
governmentby theBuhariled military JuntainDecember,1983.The
comingtopowerofthisadministrationwasverymuchwelcomedby
theNigerianpublic.Thiswaslargelyduetothetotaldisasterofthe
Shagariadministration.Thenew governmentwaswellreceivedmoreso
asitclaimedtohavebeentheoffshootofMurtalaadministration.The
administrationcamewiththepurposeofrestructuringandbringingthe
economy back to sound footing.It also vigorously sought to
institutionalizeanew ethicofNationalleadershipbasedondiscipline,
publicaccountabilityand integrity.Buhari’santi–WestPosturewas
remarkable,asitdemonstrated itsautonomyand statusindecision
making.Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with such powers as United
Statesand United Kingdom becameruptured.Inalltheseinstances,
NigeriademonstratedtotherestoftheWorldthatshewasnotreadyto
takeinsultsordirectivefrom anycountrybigorsmall,theregimeat
theend suffered “SupportErosion”withitshuman rightabuses,a
situationwhichmadeiteasyforittobeoverthrown.
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The Babangida governmentthatsucceeded the Buhariregime was
described as a Liberal/benevolentmilitary regime especially atits
infancy.The administration like its predecessorwas committed to
economic restructuring which informed its choice ofthe Structural
AdjustmentProgramme(SAP).Theprogrammehadadverseeffectson
thelifeofNigerians,andasexpectedhadseriousimplicationsonthe
country’sexternalrelations.Theregime’shandlingofthebombingof
LibyabytheUSAwasheavilycriticizedsoalsowastheregime’sOIC
policy which almostprecipitated serious internalupheaval.Itwas
apparentthatthegovernmentundertheguiseofeconomicdiplomacy
succeeded inplayingintothehandsoftheWesternpowersasits
economicprogrammecould besaid tobeanythingbuthumane.The
failure of Babangida to respect the peoples mandate with the
annulmentoftheJune12Presidentialelectionsresult,afterendless
politicaltransitionledtothedemiseoftheregime.
DuringtheAbacharegime,developmentbetweenChinaandNigeriawas
oneofthemostprominentaspectsoftheshiftinNigeria’sforeign
policy.AtthistimeNigeriaandChinaenteredintodifferentagreements,
which allowed China to become involved in oil production,
refurbishmentofthelong–neglectedNigeriaRailwayCorporation,the
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dredgingofSeaportsatCalabarand Warriand thedevelopmentof
Mass–housingprojects.Abacha’sforeignpolicythrustshiftedtoAsia,
failingtorealizethatinaglobalizedworld,aligningNigeriawithAsia
aloneisinadequate.Thepoliticalheatfrom bothhomeand abroad
continueduntilAbachadiedon8thJune,1998.
Following thedeathofAbacha,GeneralAbubakarAbdulsalam (rtd)
tookoverastheHeadofStateoftheFederalRepublicofNigeria.He
succeededinconductingapeaceful,freeandfairelectionthatfinally
broughtOlusegunObasanjoasthePresidentandCommander-in-Chief
oftheNigerianArmedForcesonMay29,1999.Theforeignpolicyduring
Obasanjo’s administration was expected to end the hostile and
unfriendlyforeignpolicyoutlookoftheBabangidaandAbachamilitary
regimesandunitethere-integrativeeffortsoftheprecedingAbubakar
regime.
PresidentYaraduathattookoverfrom Obasanjoin2007wasmoreona
slow paceandnotinterestedtopursueforeignpolicywithasmuch
vigorasthatofhispredecessor(Irene,2010,Adefolarin,2014).
Goodluck Jonathan foreign policy underdemocratic rule has been
underlinedbyNigeria’sreturntoaplaceofprestigeintheInternational
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Community.Particularlyofinterestinthisresearchistheinfluenceof
domesticpoliticsonNigeria’sforeignpolicyunderGoodluckJonathan
Civilianadministration(2010–2015).Theforeignpolicyanalysisshows
the values of the linkages as an explanatory example for
understanding Nigeria’s foreign policy in the Fourth Republic,
particularlyunderGoodluckJonathan’sadministration(2010-2015).
1.2StatementofProblem
ThisstudyexaminestheissueofDomesticstructuresanditsinfluence
onNigerianForeignPolicyaswellashowthecharacterofthepolitical
leadershipaffectstheForeignPolicyofNigeriaparticularlyunderthe
Jonathanadministration.
Thegoalofeveryforeignpolicyistomaintainacordialrelationship
withothernationsoftheworld and alsobuild agood imagefora
nationinordertomeetandachieveitsnationalanddomesticinterest.
NigeriasinceMay29th,1999atthestartoftheFourthRepubliccivilian
rulehasenjoyed15yearsofunbrokendemocraticprocess;giventhe
factthatGoodluckJonathan’sadministrationwasunabletocombatthe
Boko-haram menaceeffectivelyfollowingUSrefusaltosellarmsto
Nigeriathishasseriouslyundermined Nigeria’sForeignPolicyunder
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theJonathanadministration.Itisthereforecoherenttoexaminethe
influencedomesticstructureshadonNigeria’sforeignpolicyoutlookin
Jonathan’sregime(2010-2015).
1.3ResearchQuestions
1.Doesthecharacterofthepoliticalleadership affectNigeria’s
ForeignPolicy?
2.How hasDomesticstructureinfluenced Nigeria’sForeignPolicy
underGoodluckJonathan’sadministration?
1.4ObjectivesoftheStudy
Theresearchisaimedatachievingthefollowingobjectives:
1.Toassesshow thecharacterofthepoliticalleadership affects
Nigeria’sforeignpolicy.
2.To examine the influence of Domestic structure on Nigeria’s
foreignpolicyunderGoodluckJonathanadministration(2010–
2015).
1.5ResearchHypotheses
Theresearchisbasedonthefollowinghypothesesandproposesto
investigatethefollowing
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1.Thecharacterofthepoliticalleadershiphasaffectedtheforeign
policyofNigeria.
2.DomesticstructurehasinfluencedNigeria’sforeignpolicyunder
theJonathanadministration(2010-2015).
1.6SignificanceoftheStudy
Thesignificanceofthestudycannotbeunderrated and assuch
intendstoenhanceandadvanceourknowledgeontheforeignpolicy
ofNigeria and theinfluenceofdomesticstructureson Nigeria’s
foreign policy posture particularly under Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration(2010-2015).Itisthereforeparticularlyimportanttore
-examinetheinterfacebetweendomesticissuesandforeignpolicy
inassessingthepossibilitiesandchallengesthatNigeriafacesin
theFourthRepublic.
1.7ScopeoftheStudy
The research covered Domestic structure and the conduct of
Nigeria’s Foreign Policy under Goodluck Jonathan civilian
administration(2010–2015).
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1.8LimitationsoftheStudy
Duringthecourseofthisresearch,thefollowingwerethelimitations
encountered.
Firstly,materialsneededfortheresearchtobedonethoroughlyby
the researcher were difficult to come by and Secondly,the
combinationofschoolactivitieswiththeresearchworkneededtotal
concentrationwhichwasquitelacking.
1.9ConceptualizationofTerms
ForeignPolicy
ForeignPolicyisdefinesasaplanofactionadoptedbyanationin
its dealings with other nations towards achieving its national
interestsandobjectives.Itconsistsofselfintereststrategieschosen
bystatestosafeguarditsnationalinterestsandtoachievegoals
withintheinternationalrelationsmilieu.
InternationalRelations
Internationalrelationsisthestudyoftheinteractionsofstatesinthe
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globalinternationalsystem anditexplainsthebehaviorsthatgoon
intheinternationalcommunityamongseveralstatesoperatinginthe
internationalpoliticalsystem.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the artand practice of conducting negotiations
between nations.itis the employmentoftactto gain strategic
advantage.
Democracy
Democracy is defined as the governmentofthe people by the
peopleand forthepeople.Itisapoliticalsystem inwhichthe
supreme power lies in a body of citizens to elect their
representatives.
NationalInterest
Nationalinterestisasetofgoalsandobjectivesinanationsforeign
policy,whichtheleadersaspiretoachieveand promoteintheir
relationswithstateswithintheinternationalsystem.
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DomesticStructure
DomesticStructurereferstohow a stateisorganized within its
borders.ItiscrucialtounderstandingofaState’sForeignpolicyas
itdetermineskeyfactorstotheimplementationofForeignpolicy.
1.10OrganizationofStudy
Thisresearchprojectisdividedintofivechaptersandeachofthese
chaptersaddressesvariousissuesthatpertaintothesubjectofstudy.
ChapterOneisentailstheIntroductionthatcoverthebackgroundofthe
study,statementoftheproblem,objectivesofthestudy,research
questions,researchhypotheses,significanceofthestudy,scopeofthe
study,limitationsandconceptualizationofterms.
ChapterTwoistheLiteraturereview.
ChapterThree contains the Theoreticalframework,research design,
methodofdatacollectionandmodeofdatacollection.
ChapterFouristheDatapresentationandanalysis.
ChapterFiveentailssummary,recommendationandsummaryofthe
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