Afro-centrism: A Stale Recipe In Nigeria's Foreign Policy Relations?

Abstract

Foreign policy of most nations generally takes the form and shape of internal and external dynamics intended to attend to the national interest of a state. It also ensures a robust engagement of the multifarious stakeholders in the international system in a bid to explore and exploit inherent strategic advantages. In the Nigerian context, foreign policy has been guided by the principle of Afro-centrism, which essentially entails engagement of the international system with the prism of promoting the interest of the African continent by concretely assuming important roles within and outside of the continent. It is in this light that it has shown commitment to the processes of decolonization across the continent including Angola and was at the fore of the fight against apartheid in South Africa. The leading role played in the formation of the defunct OAU, and its successor organization, the AU, as well as the promotion of development within the framework of NEPAD epitomize the principles of Afro-centrism. It however remains contentious that Nigeria seems not to be reaping a commensurate measure of reciprocity from most African countries and the international community on the basis of these. It is against this background that this paper argues for a review of the “Afro-centric” principle in the emergent international system. It argues further that; a rigid adherence to Afro-centrism since Nigeria's independence seems not to be yielding to the vagaries of contemporary international system. The main objective of this study is to attempt a critique of the Afro-centric nature of the Nigerian foreign policy since independence till date. To these effects, data is sourced from secondary sources and researcher reflexivity was adopted for analyses. The study reveals that; despite abundance of human and material resources that have been committed to pursuing and promoting this policy by successive administrations, benefits accruing to the country have been meager when compared to the alternatives foregone in the domestic affairs of the country. The paper concludes that; notwithstanding Nigeria's natural potentials to pursuing a profitable African policy, concrete strategic socio-political and economic benefits must drive international engagement.