Nigeria’s Foreign Policy under General Yakubu Gowon (1966 – 1975)

Nigeria’s Foreign Policy under General Yakubu Gowon (1966 – 1975)

Introduction

A state’s foreign policy consist of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to secure its national interest and to achieve its goals within the international relations milieu. It is the sum total of the countries national interest which result from the interaction of the internal and external actors and non-state actors as articulated by foreign policy decision makers. The methods adopted are strategically used with the sole aim of interacting with other countries and protect national interest.

Upon Nigeria’s independence since 1st October 1960 various regimes and administrations that have ruled have as well conducted external relations with various foreign policies. In fact, issues bothering of foreign affairs seem to have been accorded priority in such a manner that it usually forms part of the initial speeches of each of this regime. As the national and international political scene kept changing each regime strife to adopt a foreign policy that would meet with the prevailing circumstances within the global system. This often ensures that in spite of effort to retain specific important aspect of Nigeria’s foreign policy changes do occur as events do not remain static. 

Nigeria’s Foreign Policy principle and objective since independence as always revolved around non-alignment, multi-literalism, African-centered initiatives, non-interference in the internal affairs of state and legal equality of states. This primary responsibility after gaining independence from Britain just like other non-aligned countries of the world was to secure and preserve her own freedom and independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the concern was to maintain peace, prevent aggression, dispose of domination hegemony colonialism, neo-colonialism and all form of subjection in the international system. This article seeks to focus particularly on the foreign policy, objectives and principles of Nigeria’s first president Alhaji Shehu Shagari, 1979-1983. It seeks to examine the foreign policy orientation of the Shagari regime and it implication for Nigeria and Nigerians.

Background to Nigeria’s Foreign Policy since independence

The origin of Nigeria’s foreign policy can be traced to the times of Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s Prime Minister and Head of government from October 1960, to January 1966. This is evident in the speeches he delivered prior to and after Nigeria’s independence. These speeches reflect his statement in the House of Representatives on August 20 1960; his independence address on October 1, 1960 and his acceptance speech on the occasion of Nigeria s admission into the United Nations on October 8, 1960. These speeches contain the basic principles that are meant to guide and shape Nigeria’s external relations.

Nigeria has since independence pursued its foreign policy in the context of these basic principles and objectives professed by the Prime Minister. According to Ajaebili, there is an agreement among some scholars that the basic principles of Nigeria s foreign policy arising from Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s speeches are as follows: the principle of Non-alignment, legal equality of States, non-interference in the domestic affairs of States, the principle of Multilateralism and Africa as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s external relations (Afrocentrism). These principles were later adopted into the section 19 of the country’s 1960 independence constitution and have been reviewed and sustained overtime. In tandem with the section 19 of the 1999 constitution, the five basic foreign policy concerns of Nigeria include: commitment to the principles of Non-alignment; respect for the legal equality, political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States; seeking membership of international organisations as a means of promoting functional cooperation; and Africa as the centerpiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy.

It is crucial to note that Nigeria’s foreign policy since independence has been analysed from different viewpoints. And from these points, it is believed that the country’s foreign policy is constantly in a state of flux as a result of some internal and external dynamics inherent in various administrations. On the other hand, it is also known that notwithstanding frequent regime changes, the substance of Nigeria’s foreign policy has remained unchanged. 

With Nigeria’s admission into the United Nations, it was represented on the committees of specialised agencies and took its turn as a non- permanent member of the Security Council. One of its earliest and most significant contribution to the United Nations Organisation (UNO) was to deploy troops for the peacekeeping operation in Zaire in the early 1960s. By 1964, Nigeria’s army unit under General Aguiyi Ironsi’s command formed the backbone of the UNO Force. The Federal Military Government was committed to eliminating white minority rule in Southern Africa. It channeled financial and military aid to the liberation movements in the region through the instrumentality of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

General Yakubu Gowon succeeded Aguiyi Ironsi as military Head of State of Nigeria and ruled from August 1, 1966 to July 29, 1975. Coincidentally, this period matched with the oil boom era in Nigeria. The oil boom favourably impacted on Nigeria’s economy and this enabled the country to carry out foreign policy initiatives that encompassed economic expansion and even impacted neighbouring African States. At the same time, Nigeria was attracting a rapidly growing foreign direct investment. It utilised its oil-generated income to pursue an elaborate sub-regional foreign policy. She provided financial assistance to its neighbouring countries with the aim of helping them gain freedom. It is against this backdrop that the present study is set to examine the priorities of Nigeria s foreign policy under General Yakubu Gowon’s regime. Additionally, it will unveil the dynamics of Nigeria’s foreign policy under Gowon’s regime as well as its impact on Nigeria and the outside world.

Nigeria’s Foreign Policy under Shehu Shagari

Bala Umar explains that in Nigeria political history the second republic refers to the period between October 1979 to August 1983, which resulted in the emergence of Nigeria’s first democratically elected president since the military coup of January, 1966. On October 1, 1979 after about thirteen years of military rule Shehu Shagari was sworn in as president alongside his vice, Chief Alexander Ekwueme, in a regime that ended with the military intervention of 31st August, 1983.

The election in 1979 was held in relatively calm condition. It was won by the National People’s Party (NPN) a northern based political party which drew support from Yoruba, Igbo and other minority groups as well. This occurred after the then military regime of Murtala and Obasanjo successfully handed power back to civilian rule however, it should be noted that the NPN did not meet the two-third  majority criteria of the state required by the electoral body Shagari was eventually declared winner of the election, leading to minor disagreement over the election result. 

When Shagari came onboard, after about thirteen years of military rule he inherited a foreign policy that required firmness and dynamism because it focuses of issues such as the colonization and independence struggle for African countries such as Namibia, fight against the apartheid in South Africa; conflict resolution in the Libya-Chadian civil war; Cameroon boarder conflict 1981, Nigeria-US relation among other issues.

Despite some of the successes recorded by the Shagari administration it was plagued by number of irreconcilable crisis ranging from economic inflation, constant cases of corrupt practices, inter and intra party dispute and agitation from trade union and civil society groups. For instance, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strike in 1981 which led to the description of the regime of “highly corrupt”. Furthermore agriculture was neglected, thus leading to the countries dependence on oil revenue due to the oil boom of the 1970s and early 1980s. This situation resulted in the increase of importation of numerous goods into the country by the elite. However, this led to a collapse in local industries. In another event Nigeria had become a rentier state and creating a negative implication thereby for the content and nature of Nigeria Foreign Policy it is critical to point out that Nigeria’s relation during the Shagari era represented a carryover from the earlier regime. President Shagari, in sense, was product of Tafawa Balewa which he served as the parliamentary secretary. He therefore largely reflected the personality of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and projected the ethos of that era. He had also served as the minister in Gowon’s government while his own period in office he immediately succeeded the highly dynamic and militarily aggressive Mutala/Obasanjo regime. The foreign policy objectives inherited by Shagari in the 1979 constitution were as follows: 

1. The promotion of African unity
2. Promotion of total political, economic, social and cultural libration of Africa
3. Promotion of international cooperation conducive to the consolidation of universal peace and mutual respect and friendship among all people and state 
4. To combat any form of racial discrimination in all its manifestation.  

In reinstatement of the above constitutional provision, in his maiden address to the national assembly on 16th October, 1979, President Shehu Shagari state that: in foreign policy, Africa still remain our primary interest. We renew our pledge of support to ECOWAS, the OAU and the liberation movement of Africa. It be known that our commitment to the total liberation of our brothers in Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa remains unshaken. 18 As a result of this commitment in ensuring Africa as the center piece of Nigeria’s foreign policy, Shagari made important trips in search for solution to the conflict in North Africa which erupted as the result of claim over the ownership of Western Sahara between the Moroccan forces and the Spanish government which began since the 1960s. 19 President Shagari’s pledge to decolonization of Africa was clear when he organized and hosted an African economic summit in Lagos under the auspices of the organization of African unity (OAU) known as the Lagos plan of action in the 1980s.

The 1979 constitution which was organized and largely influenced by the previous Muhammed/Obasanjo regime simplified the high level of political and psychological unity which has existed between Nigeria and the United State. Under Shagari therefore, the presidential constitution provided the first reason for continue and intensifying the fraternal relation between the countries. The favorable American image in the country allowed Shagari to maintain and improve relations with the United States in many other areas.  Aside the traditional oil sector connection, the Shagari administration made special efforts to intensify economic relations with the US in the area of agriculture, especially after launching its green revolution programme. Additionally, a United States Nigeria Joint Agricultural Consultative Committee (JACC) was formed to facilitate the sale American agricultural product and machinery. Consequently, Nigeria’s non-oil export and import from that country also increase considerately. 

President Shagari sustained the policy of Mohammed/Obasanjo especially in the area of the liberation movement for instance Shagari followed up the earlier regime firm support for the struggle in Zimbabwe with a ten million grants to President Mugabe during their independence celebration in April 1980. The amount was to be used to acquire the Zimbabwe herald from racist South Africa.  Be it as it may, the United’ Nations continue to remain intensive to Africa’s effort to achieve immediate change in southern Africa, especially the Ronald Regan administration from 1981 who tried to stall Namibian independence by supporting Jonas Savimbi and trying to reverse the achievement of Mohammed/Obasanjo regime. Regan met serious opposition from Shagari who was focus on protecting the policies of the predecessor in this area. The regime’s relationship with the Soviets remained normal and cordial since the Balewa era and especially after the experiences of the civil war Nigerian perception of the Soviet had considerably changed for the better.

The Soviets have proven consistent and has become steady allies in Nigeria efforts to eradicate racism and help apartheid in South Africa – thus in spite of the fact that economic relations between this countries remain unavoidably low as usual during his period in office. Shagari continued to rely heavily on the Soviets’ support for the liberation movement. Nigerians relation with Britain changed politically during this periods especially with the emergence of American-typed of presidential democracy because Britain would have preferred the continuation of the British parliamentary system of government in Nigeria. Howbeit, the issues that would have brought Nigeria and Britain into conflict with each other during the second republic. According to the event occurring within some African countries such as Namibia, SA, and Cameroon must have inform the decision of Shagari’s regime. During his time Namibia and South Africa were struggling to liberate themselves from colonialism and racism Nigeria being tagged “Giant of Africa” could have been motivated by the West to take decisions about such domination. The Cameroonian boarder dispute of 1981 was also an incident that drove Nigeria’s interest towards continuous work with its other African countries not as rich and free as it was during the time in question. 

Strength and Weaknesses of Shehu Shagari’s Foreign Policy

According to S. I. Richifa, Nigeria under president Shagari’s foreign policy played a significant role and headlined position in the Southern African pursuit for statehood in 1980. Under his regime, crude petroleum continued to be sold at consolatory prices to a number of poor African countries. Financial aid was also given to other newly independent African state such as Zimbabwe and other organization like South West African Parliamentary organization (SWAPO) in Namibia. A remarkable political understanding between Nigeria and the Soviet was strengthened during Shagari’s regime to the extent that the Soviet prove to be a steady and reliable ally that could be called upon to aid something that has become an essential of the Shagari regime. Conversely having inherited a foreign policy that requires firmness, Shagari was perceived to be wea and indecisive. This may be due to the perception by some people that he got the mantle of leadership without struggle. His decision to work with foreign policy objective of past regime could have been driven by that purpose. These, alongside several other allegations where used as justification of his overthrow from office by the military in 1993. 

Again it should be noted that Nigeria’s foreign policy under Shagari’s regime suffered from strained relationships with other countries like Ghana when it expelled foreigners mostly from Ghana in 1983 that question Nigeria’s spirit of brotherhood and ECOWAS treaty. The period of Shagari’s rule experience a radical transition from the prevailing pattern of the previous administration as Nigeria’s external policy came to assume a low profile like that, which was obtained under Balewa’s regime as the nature and character of the president Shehu Shagari as very conservative since internal crisis and domestics policies always have an adverse effect on the FP of countries, Nigeria was not an exemption. Example of the crisis that affected the country are the weakness of the ruling class, vested interest, inter and intra-party rivalry, inconsistency in policy execution, endemic corruption, poverty, economic recession, political instability, rural decay, agricultural stagnation, inefficacy, misuse of state power and mismanagement of oil rent. All this defect contributed towards the limitation of Nigeria’s foreign policies implementation and action plans.

Conclusion

Since Nigeria emerge as a sovereign and independent state in 1960 it has witness a lots of regimes and their attempts to form their foreign policy towards achieving what they refer to as “Nigeria’s National Interest” but continue to face the problem of defining the truly national interest of Nigeria. Nigerian successive regimes has also been face with the problem of inconsistency in foreign policy objectives.  This article basically examine the FP objectives and programme of the first democratically elected president of Nigeria, Shehu Shagari from 1979-1983. He discovered that most of what made the regime’s foreign policy was a continuation of what Shagari predecessor (Balewa Motala/Obasanjo) did. He strengthened the move for Africa integration and liberation from the shackle of colonialism and racism he also maintain good external relation between Nigeria and the outside world especially the Soviets. With the aid of the country’s wealth and riches in crude oil, he extended financial aid to over nineteen independent African countries concisely he was enhance from been unsure and weak in his policies. He was accused of been clueless about what he wants to do for Nigeria especially in the area of foreign policy objectives. His government was also criticized for giving room for rapacious corruption, economic recession, poverty, party rivalry, inexperience, policy execution and other defect.

Photo Credit: https://www.legit.ng/1376349-general-yakubu-gowon-bio-age-education-family-achievements.html

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