Assessing Nigeria’s Foreign Policy: An In-depth Exploration of Buhari’s Administration, 2015-2023

Abstract

The pursuit of an Afrocentric foreign policy, to emerge as Africa’s foremost state, has continued to guide Nigeria’s foreign policy aspirations to date. Just like his three predecessors, Buhari effectively utilized Nigeria’s foreign policy and economic relations to attract foreign investors and other international business/development partners to do business in the country. This study examined Nigeria’s foreign policy under President Buhari’s administration. Utilizing the case study research design with a qualitative approach enabled data to be derived from a variety of sources including documentary records and semi-structured elite interviews. The findings showed that it was able to transform Nigeria from a fairly isolated state to a globalized nation; the administration has also attracted foreign development investment in multiple ways, especially in the area of Agriculture and telecommunication. Health care, Education, Mine and Steel among others. The Buhari administration has implemented a foreign policy that maintained good relationships with its neighbours to fight the Boko Haram insurgency and also improved bilateral relations with China, Japan, Morocco, Dubai, and Qatar to cater to Nigeria’s economic imbalance and also maintained good relations with the United States of America and the United Kingdom. However, PMB’s administration has been truncated by certain challenges that arise from poor leadership, corruption, developmental hindrances, the country’s image crisis, ineffective representation of Nigerians in the diaspora, and the seeming lack of will to engage the principles of reciprocity as it relates to its external relations. The study concludes and recommends Nigeria’s foreign policy must be premised solely on national interest with an emphasis on national security and welfare, regional and global peace, as well as robust multilateral diplomacy that is tailored along strong strategic partnership with friendly states in the comity of nations.