The Conduct of Foreign Policy as a Pursuit of National Interest: A Focus on President Buhari’s Foreign Policy Initiatives 2015 – 2018

Abstract

The foreign policy of any sovereign nation is essentially the gamut of her relations with other countries and international organizations aimed at actualizing her national domestic objectives however defined. President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office as an elected civilian President of Nigeria on May 29, 2015 on the promises of restoring internal security that had severely deteriorated particularly in the North Eastern part of the country as a result of the insurgency of Boko Haram; fighting corruption which has almost become a way of life in the country; and revamping the economy that was facing a serious crisis as a result of the fall in the international price of crude oil the nation’s economic livewire. This paper examines President Buhari’s foreign policy initiatives vis-à-vis his stated domestic objectives in the last three years. To what extent has this foreign policy directives been determined by the domestic environment and how much has it impacted positively on the internal objectives. Using the methodology of content analysis of existing literature, the paper concludes that the administration has achieved some measure of success. However challenges still remain especially in the areas of fighting corruption and revitalising the nation’s economy.