An Evaluation of Leadership and Nigeria's Foreign Policy in the Fourth Republic: 1999-2015

Abstract

The focus of this study is to interrogate on whether there was a synergy between leadership and Nigeria's Foreign Policies during the period under review. Anchored on Snyder, Bruck and Sapin theory of Decision Making, the study utilized both qualitative and quantitative secondary methods of data collection as its methodology. In effect, the findings revealed that the leadership of the fourth republic has maintained to a very large degree the status quo in pursuing the nation's Foreign Policy with little changes in the personalities of the leaders and their different agenda as far as Foreign Policy is concerned. Based on this, the study recommend that Nigeria's Foreign Policy should be clearly defined and the political institutions saddled with the task of Foreign Policy formulation and implementation should be well strengthened through the heightened synthesization of the inputs of the citizenry in determine what should constitute the Foreign Policy focus of the state. This will enable for Foreign Policy consistency irrespective of the person in power as head of government.