Nigerian Foreign Policy Thrust 1960 – 1966

ABSTRACT: Since independence, the guiding principle of Nigeria’s foreign policy and the pursuit of its national interests, in both its bilateral and its multilateral relations, have remained a reflection of its perception of the international environment. A constant element that has remained central to Nigeria’s foreign policy thrust has been Africa, with preoccupations concerning fighting colonialism, apartheid and the discrimination of black peoples in the African continent and elsewhere in the world. Moreover, in all of those endeavors, Nigeria seem to have focused more on its external relations with states and nonstate actors alike. However, in 1988, Nigeria officially announced its commitment to economic diplomacy, a result of the lingering economic crisis and structural adjustment program at the time. This essentially led to not only certain shifts in the analysis of Nigeria’s foreign policy after 1988, but also a recap that also triggered a review of current policies in the Fourth Republic. The focus of this article, therefore, is “Nigerian foreign policy Thrust 1960 – 1979”. Qualitative approach was adopted as method of data collection and the findings manifests dynamism as a central feature of Nigerian foreign policy over time.
KEY WORDS: Independence, Nigeria, Foreign Policy, National Interest, Africa.