NIGERIAN FOREIGN POLICY 1985-1990:-
NIGERIAN FOREIGN POLICY 1985-1990:-
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Date
1992-12
Authors
ARIGU, GABRIEL J. OMBUGANZA
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Abstract
This is a study of Nigeria's Foreign Policy in the period
1985-1990. It is primarily concerned with the theme of Economic
Diplomacy which constituted a major policy thrust in the period.
The emphasis on economic diplomacy represented new emphasis in the
orientation of the country's foreign policy from largely political
to primarily economic goals. The study seeks to identify the basic
objectives that underlie this shift such as the search for greater
access to foreign credits, debt rescheduling and the attraction of
foreign investments and opening up of new markets for Nigerian
products.
The need for this study can hardly be over-emphasized.
Nigeria's foreign policy has usually been explained by reference to
Africa as centre piece of her external affairs since independence.
This fact is not devoid of the pursuit of economic, strategic,
military, and other interest of Nigeria in international relations.
The scope of this study which covers the 1985-90 of Nigeria's
foreign policy, is crucial as it tends to reveal the Nigeria's
total submission and alliance with capital, through the diplomacy
of debt acquisition rooted in the structural adjustment program.
This position have a negative effect on the pursuit of our national
interest. This is seen in the total devaluation of the Naira and
government deregulation from the economy in the name of the
operating the market forces of demand and supply forming the basis
of foreign policy which was conceived to attract foreign investors
and boost local manufactures.
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Thus this study shows that the whole mechanism of Nigeria's
foreign policy strategy of economic diplomacy rather than achieving
its goals of boasting trade and investment, is locked in dependency
on the west, a trend which most developing countries face; seen in
the form of division of values created on world scale through
unequal exchange (extraction of surplus labour); globalization of
national categories of commodity form and value in international
competition whereby trade is dominated by the West, making relevant
the dependent development thesis. Consequently, the nations
monetary policy is marred by huge credit which manifest in the
scarcity of foreign exchange, high interest rate, low purchasing
power, productivity, and high unemployment rate. Evidently,
boosting investment for exportable produce for the domestic, and
foreign market especially to our West African neighbours were
marred with trade restriction, resulting in too huge transaction
across the border unrecorded.
Our experience in this study so far reveal the difficulty of
forming a cohesive regional bloc and the unity of African Economic
bloc. National domestic priorities threatens the signing of the
regional protocol. Evident in the French member countries apathy
to peace keeping in Liberia. However, this study applauds, to
the reawakening of Marcus Graveys and Martin Luther King's dream of
the Blacks in diaspora forming a significant constituency toward
African Foreign Policy like the Black caucus, taking a leaf from
the Jewish community in the US, especially with the end of the cold
war in which new meaning is given to the concept of conflict
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management and resolution.
Finally, this study portend that the Nigerian Economic
diplomacy must seek to transform the structure of the economy and
free it from the burden of debt and dependency which corrupt and
self-fish leadership perpetuate with consequences such as, hunger,
poverty, illiteracy and low productivity due to high cost of
production, leading to the lack of basic necessities of life which
is a function of national security.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD
OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
DECEMBER, 1992
Keywords
NIGERIAN, FOREIGN POLICY, NIGERIA'S ECONOMIC, DIPLOMACY