Nigeria’s Foreign Policy and the Major Geographical Drivers
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Published:
Jul 1, 2024
Keywords:
Foreign Policy, Geography, Geographical Descriptors, Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria
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Abstract
The thinking in the literature is that states develop different foreign policy interests and priorities depending on their geographical endowments. That is, the foreign policy of a state is sensitive to its geography. This article examines the defining role that geographical descriptors have played in the conduct of Nigeria’s foreign policy. Relying on data generated from major ranking bodies/platforms and other secondary sources, this paper contends that geographical factors have always shaped Nigeria’s foreign policy towards the coterminous or contiguous countries, Gulf of Guinea, ECOWAS region, and African continent. While Nigeria has leveraged its size, location, natural and human endowments to launch itself into global relevance, there are major constraints. These include the ineffective governance of Nigeria’s land and borders and occasional border disputes with the adjoining states, poor demographics in terms of nutrition, health, education and work, and the mismanagement of the proceeds from the country’s natural resource endowments. These problems must be addressed if Nigeria is to harness the full benefits of its geography.
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Oshewolo, Segun, Roseline Oshewolo, Samuel E. Boyi, and Olayiwola V. Ojo. 2024. “Nigeria’s Foreign Policy and the Major Geographical Drivers”. ABUAD Journal of Social and Management Sciences 5 (2), 221-41. https://doi.org/10.53982/ajsms.2024.0502.01-j.
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Anele, K.K. (2021). The potential impact of piracy on the ACFTA. The Journal of Territorial and Maritime Studies, 8(1), 5-26.
Anyaoku, E. (2013). Nigeria and the international community. In O Akinkugbe and A. Joda (Eds.), Olusegun Obasanjo: The presidential Legacy, 1999-2007 (pp. 332-353). Ibadan: Bookcraft.
Bhattarai, D. (2022). Understanding the primacy of geography in the conduct of foreign policy. Journal of Foreign Affairs, 2(1), 1-17.
https://doi.org/10.3126/jofa.v2i01.44006
Blanton, S.L. and Kegley, C.W. (2017). World politics: Trends and transformations (2016-2017 edition). Australia: Cengage Learning.
Blouet, B., Kemp, G., Harkavy, R.E., Alsaidi, A.M., Kaplan, R.D. (2009). Is geography destiny? Foreign Policy, 173, 11-13.
Breuning, M. (2007). Foreign policy analysis: A comparative introduction. Hampshire, England: Palgrave Macmillan.
https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230609242
Dede, B.N. (2012). Nigeria in African institutions: ECOWAS, AU, ADB, etc. In E. Anyaoku (Ed.), Review of Nigeria's foreign policy: Issues and perspectives (pp. 205-209). Lagos: NIIA.
Dryad Global (2023). West Africa - Gulf of Guinea piracy. https://www.dryadglobal.com/gulf-of-guinea-and-nigerian-piracy (accessed September 11, 2023).
Eberstadt, N. (2019). With great demographics comes great power. Why population will drive geopolitics. Foreign Affairs, 98(4), 146-157.
Eberstadt, N. (1998). Demography and international relations. The Washington Quarterly, 21(2), 33-52.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01636609809550310
Editorial (2023). Issues in border security. This Day, May 26. https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2023/05/26/issues-in-border-security/
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Eze, A. (2010). The Gulf of Guinea and the challenges ahead. In O.C. Eze, C.A. Anigbo, CQ. Dokubo (Eds.), Nigeria's security interest in Africa (pp. 229-238). Lagos, Nigeria: NIIA.
George, O.O. (2012). From rookie to mandarin. The memoirs of a second generation diplomat. Ibadan: Bolytag International Publishers.
Global Firepower (2023a). Total coastline coverage by country (2023). https://www.globalfirepower.com/coastline-coverage.php (accessed September 15, 2023).
Global Firepower (2023b). African military strength (2023). https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-listing-africa.php (accessed September 15, 2023).
Griffiths, M. and O'Callaghan, T. (2002). International relations: The key concepts. London: Routledge.
Hudson, V.M. (2014). Foreign policy analysis: Classic and contemporary theory (second edition). Lanham: Rowmann & Littlefield.
Kamal-Deen, A. (2015). The anatomy of the Gulf of Guinea piracy. Naval War College Review, 68(1), 93-118.
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Kyanet, P. (2021a). President Buhari launches Deep Blue Project in Lagos. Lagos, Nigeria: Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Kyanet, P. (2021b). NIMASA DG: SPOMO Act improving Nigeria's image. Lagos, Nigeria: NIMASA.
Kyanet, P. (2021c). UN lauds Nigeria's leading role in securing the Gulf of Guinea. Lagos, Nigeria: NIMASA.
Mingst, K.A. and Arreguin-Toft, I.M. (2017). Essentials of international relations (seventh edition). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2023). Natural resources. Abuja, Nigeria: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. https://foreignaffairs.gov.ng/nigeria/natural-resources/ (accessed September 11, 2023).
National Bureau of Statistics (2022). Nigeria multidimensional poverty index. Abuja, Nigeria: National Bureau of Statistics.
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Oshewolo, S. (2021). A reconsideration of the Afrocentric principle in Nigeria's foreign policy framework. GeoJournal, 86(3), 1503-1510. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-019-10114-1
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-019-10114-1
Oshewolo, S. (2019a). Rhetoric and praxis: Nigeria's Africa diplomacy and the shaping of the African Union. The Round Table, 108(1), 49-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/00358533.2019.1565343
https://doi.org/10.1080/00358533.2019.1565343
Oshewolo, S. (2019b). Bringing back the issues: Nigeria's Afrocentric policy under President Olusegun Obasanjo. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 57(3), 324-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2019.1576278
https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2019.1576278
Oshewolo, S. (2018). Primus inter pares: Nigeria and the burden of peacekeeping in Africa. In M. Gaur (Ed.), Studies on Nigeria (pp. 121-135). New Delhi, India: Paragon International Publishers.
Oshewolo, S., Nwozor, A., Fayomi, F., Oluwatuyi, M. (2021). '"Instrumentalizing" the United Nations: Nigeria and its quest for regional leadership in Africa.' World Affairs, 184(1), 77-100. https://doi.org/10.1177/0043820021990551
https://doi.org/10.1177/0043820021990551
Saliu, H.A. and Oshewolo, S. (2018). Nigeria in African affairs: Hegemonic and altruistic considerations. The Round Table, 107(3), 291-305. https://doi.org/10.1080/00358533.2018.1476095
https://doi.org/10.1080/00358533.2018.1476095
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The World FactBook (2023). Land boundaries. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/land-boundaries/ (accessed September 10, 2023).
Tukur, H.A. (2010). Security framework for the Gulf of Guinea. In O.C. Eze, C.A. Anigbo, CQ. Dokubo (Eds.), Nigeria's security interest in Africa (pp. 217-227). Lagos, Nigeria: NIIA.
Ukeje, C. and Ela, W.M. (2013). African approaches to maritime security - The Gulf of Guinea. Abuja, Nigeria: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
United Nations Development Programme (2023). Human development insights. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks
United Nations Development Programme (2022). Human development report 2021/2022. Uncertain times, unsettled lives: Shaping our future in a transforming world. New York, United states: UNDP.
United Nations Development Programme (2020). Human development report. The next frontier: Human development and the Anthropocene. New York, United States: UNDP.
https://doi.org/10.18356/9789210055161
United Nations Development Programme (2019). Human development report. Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: inequalities in human development in the 21st century. New York, United States: UNDP.
https://doi.org/10.18356/838f78fd-en
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2023). From sea to land: Tackling maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea. https://www.unodc.org/nigeria/en/from-sea-to-land_-tackling-maritime-crime-in-the-gulf-of-guinea.html (accessed September 10, 2023).
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von Hauff, M. and Rubbelke, D. (2008). International cooperation in the protection of the environment in emerging markets - the case of India. Environmental Sciences, 5(4), 223-234.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15693430802447283
Wesley, E. and Peterson, F. (2017). The role of population in economic growth. Sage Open, 7(4), 1-15.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017736094
World Atlas (2023). Maps of Nigeria. https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/nigeria#:~:text=Nigeria%2C%20situated%20in%20West%20Africa,Guinea%20in%20the%20Atlantic%20Ocean. (accessed September 20, 2023).
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Zabadi, I.S. and Bot, D.E. (2023). The Gulf of Guinea in Nigeria's foreign relations: The role of the Nigerian navy. African Journal of Humanities and Contemporary Education Research, 10(2), 43-56.