Nigeria's foreign policy needs strategic update beyond past glories

Nigeria's foreign policy requires a strategic recalibration, moving beyond a nostalgic view of past achievements to address contemporary global and domestic realities. The author argues that a nation's strength on the international stage is intrinsically linked to its domestic capacity. Focusing on economic stability, internal security, human capital development, and institutional effectiveness are not merely internal matters but are integral to a robust foreign policy posture.

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Even a deliberate decision to look inward and concentrate on strengthening domestic governance structures, institutions and national capacities can itself constitute an innovative foreign policy posture, particularly where the objective is to prepare the country to engage more effectively with its immediate region and the wider international community.

This approach, the author contends, enhances national resilience, strategic autonomy, and the credibility needed to engage with other nations confidently. The effectiveness of such domestic strengthening is, however, a subject open to debate. The core proposition is that a strong internal foundation is a prerequisite for impactful foreign engagement.

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Concentrating on the economy, internal security, human capital development, institutional effectiveness and national resilience can therefore be understood as integral to a country’s foreign policy disposition, insofar as such efforts strengthen national capacity, enhance strategic autonomy and enable the country to withstand external pressures while engaging other nations with greater confidence, dignity and credibility.

The piece also calls for a reassessment of Nigeria's role in a transformed international system. The author notes that the United Nations, observed firsthand between 2002 and 2016, has seen its capacity and assertiveness diminish due to deepening divisions among major powers and a weakening of collective purpose among member states. Similarly, Africa's influence within the UN and the evolution of the African Union itself necessitate a nuanced understanding of current geopolitical dynamics.

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With regard to the repeated references to Nigeria’s “lost glory” in foreign policy, it is my humble opinion that such formulations can sometimes inadvertently lead us to confuse nostalgia with strategy, and retrenchment with decline.

This perspective challenges the notion of a simple "lost glory" in Nigerian foreign policy, suggesting that such formulations can conflate sentiment with strategy. Instead, it advocates for a forward-looking approach that acknowledges the profound shifts in both the global landscape and Nigeria's own circumstances, demanding intellectual and policy communities adapt their thinking accordingly.

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I respectfully suggest that our intellectual and foreign policy communities need to take fuller account of the profound transformations that have occurred both in the international system and in Nigeria’s own domestic circumstances over the years.