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Phases of Nigeria's Foreign Policy II

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Phases of Nigeria's Foreign Policy II Phases of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy III Shehu Shagari (1979-1983); Ernest Shonekan (1998); Oluesgun Obasanjo (1999-2007); Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (2007-2010); and Goodluck Jonathan (2010-2015) 1 • Alhaji Shehu Shagari (1979-1983) • President Shehu Shagari, the first executive president of Nigeria, led the country from October 1, 1979 to December 31, 1983, when he was ousted by the military. • When Alhaji Shehu Shagari was sworn in as the first executive president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he inherited a dynamic afrocentric foreign policy which was heavily backed up by sound economy. • Shagari in his first foreign policy speech to the joint session of Nigeria’s National Assembly in March 1980, declared: • “Africa remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s foreign policy. My administration is committed to the cause of the total liberation of Africa and the abolition of racism in all its manifestations. We shall neither relax nor relent until all Africans and all black men are free”. 2 • There were contradictions in the Afrocentric policy of the Shagari administration. • As part of Nigeria’s commitment to the decolonization process in Africa, it took an active part in the Lancaster House Proceedings that led to the independence of Zimbabwe. • The government equally gave large financial grant to the new Robert Mugabe led government, to assist it in taking off. • To Shagari’s credit, he spearheaded Africa’s commitment to peaceful settlement of inter-state disputes like the Somalia/Ethiopia; Morocco/Polisario Movement over Western Sahara; and the Hissene Habre/Guokonni Weddeye crises in Chad. • The Nigeria-Cameroon border crisis was an event which put Nigeria’s love for its neighbours to test. 3 • The immediate cause of the border crisis in May 1981 was the deliberate killing of five Nigerian soldiers by Cameroonian gendarmes on May 16, 1981. • After the incident, the then Nigerian external Affairs Minister, Professor Ishaya Audu in a press statement described the incident as a cold-blooded murder and threatened that Nigeria would not take the issue lying low. • However, despite the fact that the dominant mood in the country then was that Nigeria should employ a military option against Cameroon, the Federal Government still adopted a diplomatic option leading to the peaceful resolution of the conflict by the end of 1981 with the payment of reparation to the families of the bereaved. 4 • The contradiction in Shagari’s Afrocentric foreign policy was the expulsion of three million illegal alien largely Africans from Nigeria. • Under Shagari, oil revenue peaked, then dramatically declined. • Like Gowon, Shagari pursued a modest foreign policy. • In January 1983, the Nigerian government responded to the economic downturn by expelling illegal immigrants. • This was the state’s “worst international crisis since the civil war” (Abegunrin, 2003). • It antagonized Nigeria’s neighbours and further undermined sub- regional integration (Gambari, 1989). 5 • Ernest Shonekan (1993) • Chief Ernest Shonekan, who headed an Interim National Government (ING) set up by Babangida when he stepped aside, ruled for three months, August 26, 1993 – November 17, 1993, before General Sani Abacha seized power from him. • Shonekan’s major steps at the wheel of power were the release of political detainees and setting a timetable for troop withdrawal from ECOMOG's peacekeeping mission in Liberia. • The government also initiated an audit of the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and presented a bill for banning three major draconian decrees. • Shonekan was too enmeshed in resolving the fallout from the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election to focus on foreign policy. 6 • Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007) • Obasanjo, was among those accused by Abacha for plotting to overthrow his government. • He was among those tried and sentenced by the Military tribunal. • When Abubakar became the Head of State, he introduced a short transition programme. • Apart from being a beneficiary of political pardon initiated by the Abdulsami Abubakar, Obasanjo was released from prison, anointed and crowned PDP’s Presidential flag-bearer. • He subsequently won the presidential election of 1999. As president- elect, Obasanjo embarked on extensive overseas travels. • This was understandable as the events of the previous six years, starting from 1993 led to the country being ostracized. 7 • Obasanjo’s top foreign policy priority was to restore Nigeria’s international reputation. • In his inaugural speech during the hand-over ceremony, Obasanjo asserted: • “We shall pursue a dynamic foreign policy to promote friendly relations with all nations and will continue to play a constructive role in the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity and other international bodies. We shall continue to honour existing agreements between Nigeria and other countries. It is our resolve to restore Nigeria fully to her previous prestigious position in the community of nations.” • What followed was extensive tour by the president and his foreign affairs minister to Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas to promote Nigeria’s image. • According to some sources, as at mid August 2002, Obasanjo had made one hundred and thirteen trips and was out of the country for a total period of 340 days. • In other words, in a period of three years, the President has been out of the country for a period of a year less two weeks. 8 • Obasanjo’s tours paid off. Soon after his inauguration, Nigeria was readmitted to the Commonwealth of Nations. • Sanctions were lifted. • In addition to restoring Nigeria’s international reputation, its foreign policy clearly focused on economic diplomacy which was defined in terms of attracting foreign direct investments/ partnerships from the West in order to engender economic development. • Thus, Nigeria created structures that would help in further bringing the country into greater reckoning in Africa, thereby making for peace and development in the continent. • This was done through: • i) the creation of important offices for the promotion of African integration and support for African unity – shown through the Ministry of Cooperation and Integration in Africa; and, 9 • ii) maintenance of peace and security in the West African sub-region • Demonstrated by Nigeria’s leadership role in the formation and funding of ECOMOG, • Membership of the Gulf of Guinea Commission. • At the African level, Nigeria did not move away from its traditional Afrocentric stance. According to Obasanjo (2005:16); • “I believe that Africa should remain the centerpiece of our foreign policy. The renewed determination of African leaders, our strengthening of regional economic communities, the restructuring of the OAU into the AU, and a better global disposition towards Africa, the AU and the AU’s programme, NEPAD, are indicators that we are indeed in a new Africa. The Africa that should be united, integrated, devoid of conflicts and violence, especially in the contemporary global system where there is no chronic conflicting ideological divide”. 10 • With regard to Africa, in 1999, Nigeria began pulling out of Sierra Leone, to cut costs and redirect resources to the Niger Delta, where the local security situation had deteriorated. • In the West African subregion, Obasanjo presented himself as a peacekeeper. • When the International Court of Justice ruled in 2002 that the contested Bakassi Peninsula belonged to Cameroon, Obasanjo contained intense Nigerian opposition to the verdict and initiated implementation efforts. • Obasanjo also reiterated Nigeria’s support for ECOWAS and his desire to pursue more extensive regional integration. 11 • The Highpoints of Obasanjo’s Foreign Policy. • i) Nigeria played a key role in the conceptualization of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and shifted its focus from conflicts to economic development. • ii) Obasanjo’s overseas trips provided a platform that secured the commitment of such countries as Switzerland, Britain, America, Belgium and Germany, among others to repatriate Nigeria’s stolen fund. • iii) Diaspora engagement. • President Obasanjo routinely interacted and dialogued with Nigerian communities in the countries he visited to discuss issues of common national interests and update Nigerian Diaspora on government policies, as well as solicit their contributions on possible ways of moving the country forward 12 • iv) Through an Open Skies Agreement with the US Airspace Agency in 1999, the Obasanjo government also secured the lifting of ban on direct flight between Nigeria and the US which had been in place since the time of Gen. Abacha. • The country, to an appreciable degree, regained its lost status as the hub of air and sea transportation in Africa. More international and domestic airlines came on board through private initiatives. • v) Nigeria assumed the leadership of several international organisations such as: ECOWAS, AU, and G-77. • It also hosted very important international summits thereby attracting foreign players to Nigeria. All these imply that the international system has restored its confidence in Nigeria. 13 • vi) Securing debt relief for Nigeria. Before Olusegun Obasanjo became president in 1999, Nigeria was highly indebted as its external debt profile was huge. Through Obasanjo’s efforts, Nigeria secured debt relief of $18 billion from the Paris and London clubs. • vii) Preservation of democracy in Africa. Under President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria became a principal promoter of democratic rule
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