FOREIGN POLICY AND NATION BUILDING IN NIGERIA, 1999-201

Abstract

n international relations, foreign policy provides the framework through which
states influence or seek to influence the external world in order to attain objectives
that are in consonance with their perceived national interest. Nation building is
simply the search for nationhood. It represents the process of developing national
consciousness among groups and individuals who cultivate a sense of love for a given
state. Through nation building, impressive elements of organizations are created with
respect to political, social, and economic orientations. The study essentially focused
on foreign policy and challenges of nation building in Nigeria. In this case, the level
of national consciousness in a state normally has implications on the extent of the
people’s interest or participation on foreign policy issues. In other words, if a nation-
state is properly integrated, that will impact on nation building and by extension
foreign policy. The study adopted secondary means of data collection and descriptive
method of analysis. The pluralist approach shall be applied as theoretical framework.
The study reveals that the inability of the Nigerian state to effectively contain some
centrifugal forces across the geo-political zones in Nigeria has negatively affected
nation building in the country. The paper argues that the determination of Nigeria’s
foreign policy since independence has remained elitist, as the various agencies
involved in its formulation are either hijacked, influenced or manipulated by the
powers that be. The paper recommends an overhaul of Nigeria’s foreign policy
objectives to actually make it more people focused