National Interest and Nigeria’s Foreign Policy: Discourse of Rethink

Abstract

The paper examined the symbiotic relationship between the concepts of national interest and foreign policy, stressing that a well grafted foreign policy is dependent on a well thought-out national interest which remains a guide to a nation’s foreign policy formulation and implementation. Nigeria’s foreign policy over the years has been touted to be guided by the country’s national interest which studies in the past revealed is obfuscating. Nigeria’s national interest and her foreign policy in the past and the present, which is said to be at variance with what is obtained in other climes. In order to achieve the objective of this study, the paper adopted the theory of state capture as our guide. The paper employs the qualitative content analysis approach and relies mainly on secondary sources of data such as textbooks, journal articles, periodicals, conferences papers and the internet, etc. The study finds that there is disconnect between Nigeria’s national interest and her foreign policy objectives. Previous studies had been on Nigeria’s foreign policy and national interest without corresponding benefits to her development, but rather predicated on parochial and jaundiced sentiments. It is within this gap in foreign policy analysis literaturethat this paper investigates the need for a rethink on a well thought-out and robust national interest as a sine-qua-non for a nation’s foreign policy formulation and implementation.  In addition, instead of addressing issues raised by various studies on the unmitigated asymmetry between national interest and foreign policy objective, government are always adamant and chose to maintain the status quo. The study recommends that there is urgent need for reforms that will ensure a well defined and structured policy, for effectiveness, efficiency and transparency.