Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
1
International Journal Of Law And Criminology
(ISSN
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2771-2214)
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03
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03
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Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
Federal Republic of Nigeria picture was once poor prior the return of self-government in 1999. The fundamental
purpose of this used to be the lengthy length of army rule which no longer solely dismantled democratic institutions,
however made Nigeria a pariah State as a end result of corruption and draconian policies. The protracted army rule
led to plethora of sanctions which led to complication on the populace. The return to democratic governance
reinvented the State and ushered in diplomatic shuffles which culminated to the disposing of of the sanctions which
finally readmitted the united states into world reckoning. This find out about opinions Federal Republic of Nigeria
resemblance, self-government and overseas strategy, 1999
–
2007, adopting content material evaluation in the scrutiny
of our facts and political economic system views as a paradigm for our analysis. It recommends superb Executive
–
Legislative Collaboration as a panacea for reaching positive and secure overseas strategy.
KEYWORDS
Corruption, self-government, resemblance, overseas strategy, Nigeria.
INTRODUCTION
‘Foreign strategy’, as a concept, is nebulous and defies
a generally-acceptable definition (Aluko, 1981). Though
one-of-a-kind students have described it from
extraordinary factors of view, every of these
definitions ought to be stated to have stemmed from,
and influenced by, abnormal ideological strands. The
Research Article
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA RESEMBLANCE, SELF-GOVERNMENT
AND FOREIGN STRATEGY, 1999-2007
Submission Date:
March 02, 2023,
Accepted Date:
March 07, 2023,
Published Date:
March 11, 2023
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ijlc/Volume03Issue03-01
Anthony Engobes
Rivers State House Of Assembly, Assembly Complex, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ijlc
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
2
International Journal Of Law And Criminology
(ISSN
–
2771-2214)
VOLUME
03
I
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03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
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FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
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(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
584
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
thought of overseas coverage is of utmost hobby and
significance to each and every nation, since, in
accordance Dunmoye, Njoku & Alubo, eds.
(2007:12), ‘it connotes formal decisions/positions of
sovereign states closer to their counterparts,
described in phrases of political, economic,
cultural/social and strategic geographical regions of
inter-sovereign relationships, bilaterally and or multi-
literally.’ Foreign coverage in truth offers with the
family members between sovereign actors in
worldwide
system.
Foreign
coverage
goal
consequently can be understood as a vary of supposed
movements as properly as set techniques adopted by
using some sovereign actors with the motive of
influencing the behaviour of different sovereign actors
inside the global system. Accordingly, Ogwu (2006:6)
argues that the closing goals of any overseas coverage
are to reap short-range or long-range dreams that
make certain the superiority of one sovereign
countrywide actor over another. That is, overseas
coverage should be perceived as the pursuit of country
wide interests. The milieu inside which overseas
coverage is contrived and finished may want to be
dichotomized into three primary realms; the
psychological, the home and the external. The
psychological realm denotes the intellectual manner of
the selection maker(s) and all the elements that form
the thought of the strategy. The home realm on the
different hand is past the choice maker(s), however
inside the territorial bounds of the state. The exterior
realm offers with the global device into which the
coverage is directed and this may want to be
substantially unpredictable. The interface of the trio
consequently is integral in the formula of overseas
strategy.
Conscious of the truth that Nigeria exists inside the
div work of law, the pursuit of these goals
beforehand highlighted have been (and nevertheless
are) to be guided by using concepts such as “non
-
alignment, prison equality of states, non-interference
in the home affairs of different states, multilateralism
and Africa as the cornerstone or nerve centre of
Federal Republic of Nigeria overseas strategy. Based
on the foregoing therefore, specifically as the most
populous black state in the world, Nigeria wittingly or
unwittingly, has shouldered the management position
of the black world; this has predicated her
accountability some distance past her territorial
borders.
In alignment with this view, Garba in Saliu (2006:197)
observes that ‘Nigerians abroad, I imply anyone n
ow
has his head low. In the olden days, you have been
proud to be a Nigerian’, the exterior picture of Nigeria
hence put an aggravating price on Nigerians due to the
fact the way a country is perceived to some extent
determines the leverage it enjoys, hence, lending
credence to the city sociologist who preserve that the
whole
city
lifestyles
revolves
round
affect
management. Nigeria thus, incurred unsavoury value
due to her bad resemblance, which led to world
isolation and dwindling danger to her management
function in Africa.
General Abubakar’s transition programme opened the
gate of heaven for the triumph of Nigeria into political
reckoning. A system of restoration ancient wounds
with Federal Republic of Nigeria buddies and allies
commenced and warning signs of what to count on got
here all through the inauguration of President
Obasanjo on May 29, 1999. The tournament attracted
over forty Heads of States and Governments, thus,
signalling the country’s resumption of prominence in
Africa and World affairs. The inauguration stays the
greatest gathering over 4 many years of Federal
Republic of Nigeria existence as a State. The transition
of Nigeria from army to civil self-government in 1999
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
3
International Journal Of Law And Criminology
(ISSN
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2771-2214)
VOLUME
03
I
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03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
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(2021:
5.
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5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
584
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
flog-jumped her overseas coverage posture from State
of alienation to State of acceptance. Ogwu and Agbu
(2006:249) examine that ‘All hitherto closed doorways
are being opened inside a quick length of 5 years,
Nigeria as a us of a seems to have been welcomed
again to the comity of nations.
Unlike the navy leaders, president Obasanjo installed
the management function of a depressed nation with
spectacular and intimidating credentials. He used to be
no longer solely cerebral however additionally vastly
skilled for the job; having as soon as been a Head of
State below one of the army juntas between 1966 to
1999; thus, he should be adjourned to have good sized
expertise of the intricacies of power, politicking and
diplomacy having served in many global bodies,
attended endless conferences and delivered papers as
properly as written books on extensive array of issues.
He had equally sat at world discussion board with
world leaders. Therefore, the challenges of the new job
may also now not be too problematic.
Foreign coverage making shape have to take
consciousness of the reality that, in a Presidential
device of authorities the place a popularly elected
President is the Chief Executive, as it is in Nigeria, the
behavior of overseas strategy, as of any different
public strategy, must, in the remaining analysis,
additionally be examined in the wider context of the
large institutional interplay between the govt and the
legislature. It is substantial to kingdom that the
government has usually been a dominant participant in
Federal Republic of Nigeria overseas strategy. The
position of the legislature had most frequently been
invisible. Consequent upon this therefore, this find out
about try to current a rounded appreciation of the
relationship between the legislature and govt in the
formation and implementation of Federal Republic of
Nigeria overseas coverage between 1999 to 2007; that
is the Obasanjo’s years as President of the Federal
Republic. We hope that at the end, we would make
suggestions that would engender increased effectivity
that would in addition boast Federal Republic of
Nigeria exterior resemblance.
Theoretical Framework In this research, we adopted
the political economic system standpoint as our
conceptual div work. The beginning of the time
period “Political Economy” dates again to the duration
when it was once used to find out about the way
manufacturing used to be carried out in international
locations born out of the new capitalist system. More
specifically, it was once the relation between the
manufacturing machine and law, customs and the
government. Theories of political financial system have
been used to find out about the production,
distribution and consumption of items and offerings
and their fine administration in a united states of
america or a authorities system.
Understanding politics as a technique of bargaining
amongst rational choice makers making an attempt to
achieve and hold political power, political economic
system is now not a constant concern or self-discipline
however a recurrent mode of conceptualizing social
life. Its scope or discipline of imaginative and prescient
has broadened and narrowed at unique instances as
financial trust structures have alternately displaced or
rekindled pastime in necessary troubles such as human
equality and growth. Contributing to the fore-going.
The cutting-edge utilization of political financial system
viewpoint used to be a introduction of 1/3 world
students as a response to the poverty of ample
clarification to atypical troubles that confront
periphery social formations. It used to be championed
with the aid of the works of revolutionary pupils like
Andre Gunder Frank, G. Arrigli, Wellersterin I. Samir
Amin, Claude Ake, Okwudiba Nnoli to identify however
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
4
International Journal Of Law And Criminology
(ISSN
–
2771-2214)
VOLUME
03
I
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03
Pages:
01-07
SJIF
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FACTOR
(2021:
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5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
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)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
a few. The method now not solely focuses interest on
the administration of the society’s cloth wealth and
distribution amongst the a range of classes, it
additionally evaluations conflicts which occur from
these processes.
The political economic system mannequin presents a
right paradigm for this analysis, due to the fact it
directs discourse on how items and offerings are
allotted at each the home and exterior fronts. It is
additionally precious in inspecting useful resource
allocation and provider transport in the relationship
between organs and establishments of the State.
Furthermore, it evaluations troubles of governance,
inequality, democratization, financial and social
members of the family which form the inner and
exterior members of the family of State. This paradigm
consequently gives us with course for the evaluation of
Federal Republic of Nigeria resemblance, self-
government and overseas strategy.
The former Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign
Affairs, Aminu Jubril conceptualizes overseas strategy
as a contraction of home insurance policies which, to
all intents and purposes, allows any nation’s relevance
and participation in the worldwide device (PAC,
2005:23). That is, it is the choices a country takes in
admire of its members of the family with some other
state or the combination of a country’s insurance
policies in its interplay with different member of the
worldwide neighborhood and taking issues of positive
variables of home and exterior environment. Aminu
similarly states that, no state can pursue a meaningful,
truly successful, overseas coverage eliminated from its
genuine status, politically, economically and socially.
In
the
method
of
coverage
making
and
implementation, group remember a incredible deal
(Olusanya
and
Akindele,
1999:532).
These
establishments
legitimize
each
the
coverage
procedure and outcomes. Thus, in the method and
implementation of Federal Republic of Nigeria
overseas strategy, the apparently anarchical however
absolutely pluralistic institutional shape that emerged
when you consider that 1960 confront pupils with the
tantalizing project of offering an knowledgeable
evaluation and evaluative examination of the
organizational paradigm via which particular choices
are processed, made and carried out via the applicable
actors. There is no doubt therefore, that the
institutionalization of buildings and procedure beautify
possibilities for administrative modernization, hence,
help in consolidating development.
What is obvious, therefore, is that no single character
or group makes the states overseas strategy. While the
President is the primary overseas coverage actor, he as
a count number of routine, depends on the
recommendation from the Minister of Foreign Affairs
who in flip depends on the recommendation from
Professional Foreign Service Officers in the Ministry;
different actors whose opinion construct into the
overseas coverage procedure consist of the legislative
arm of government, the excessive echelon of the
Military, the press, lecturers and college students of
greater institution, change unions and many expert
and financial associations. All these contributors have
at one time or the different influenced the path of
Federal Republic of Nigeria overseas strategy.
Before the duration underneath review, Nigeria had
eleven one-of-a-kind Heads of governments as follows;
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Major General Aguiyi-
Ironsi, General Yakubu Gowon, General Murtala
Muhammed, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu
Shagari, General Muhamadu Buhari, General Ibrahim
Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekon, General Sani
Abacha and General Abdulsalami Abubakar. Three out
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
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VOLUME
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(2021:
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(2023:
6.
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OCLC
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Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
of the eleven have been civilians, the relaxation being
army dictators. Even the three leaders mentioned, one
–
Chief Ernest Shonekon used to be now not
democratically elected, but, was once an imposition of
the dictatorship of the army led by way of General
Babangida. Shonekon remains the shortest serving
Head of State, having been eliminated via a cold palace
coup with the aid of Babangida's compatriot, General
Sani Abacha. The different two heads of authorities
that went via democratic method had been no longer
allowed to conclude their tenures in office. While Alhaji
Tafawa Balewa used to be brutally murdered in 1966 by
means of Major Chukuma Nzeogu and his cohorts in a
bloodful coupe, Shehu Shagari used to be ousted from
workplace through General Muhamadu Buhari at the
early days, to be particular three months into his
assumption of workplace for a 2nd time period of 4
years as the democratically elected President of
Nigeria. Under every of the governments, the behavior
of Federal Republic of Nigeria exterior family members
has been publicly declared to be guided by means of
the identical well-established ideas as highlighted in
the introductory section of this paper. Thus, from Sir
Abubakar via General Abdulsalami, Nigeria has made it
clear in her overseas coverage pronouncements and
moves that in spite of her comparative gain in size,
populace and sources over different African countries,
she would neither are seeking for to dominate nor are
searching for to lift out aggressive navy motion in
opposition to them. Undisputedly, Nigeria is a massive
and primus inter pares in Black Africa. Successive
Nigerian leaders have been very cautious to draw a
difference between 'domination' and ‘leadership’; she
has desired to play a management however now not
an imperial role.
In his willpower to re-brand Nigeria and revert the
extremely 'isolationist' posture assumed by using the
Buhari's regime toward the global community, General
Badamosi Babangida seized strength via a palace
coupe on twenty seventh August, 1985. The
Babangida’s coup was, in extra customary terms, a
coup for peripheral capitalism. A regime used to be
wished to as soon as once more carry nearer and re-
hegemonize the two factions of capital whose co-
operation made peripheral accumulation possible:
overseas capital and nearby compradors (Asobie and
Ibeanu,
1988:9-10).
Thus,
the
administration
commenced a restructuring of the overseas coverage
potentials of Nigeria. At the home front, Structural
Adjustment Programme (SAP) used to be introduced.
SAP met the admiration of the Western Capitalist
countries and they grew to be the most vocal reward
singers of the programme; whilst at the overseas front,
Babangida adopted financial diplomacy as the thrust of
its overseas strategy. During this period, it should be
stated rightly too that Nigeria contributed to the
starting of the quit of colonialism and apartheid in the
continent. Namibia used to be liberated and Nelson
Mandela was once released. Also, ECOWAS Monitoring
Group (ECOMOG), a Regional intervention mediation
pressure to stop the protracted civil conflict in Liberia
and Sierra Leone was once formed. Nigeria in addition
set up ties with Israel damaged due to the fact 1963 and
instituted the Technical Aid Corps Scheme (TACS). The
Shonekon Interim National Government (ING)
(September, 1993-November, 1993) did now not make
any landmark fulfillment of observe due to the fact the
authorities used to be nevertheless understudying the
gadget earlier than it was once ousted by way of
General Abacha.
The non-involvement of the parliament in overseas
coverage things was once seen in 1960-1966 as a
movement calling on the Balewa authorities to set up
a Parliamentary Committee on the flooring of the
House failed. This committee was once to study
matters related with Foreign Affairs. According to
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
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International Journal Of Law And Criminology
(ISSN
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VOLUME
03
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SJIF
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(2021:
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OCLC
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1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Olusanya and Akindele (1986:26), Jaja Wachuku's
argument in Parliament used to be certainly a peculiar
and curious one that the introduction of the committee
would end result in the manipulate of the behavior of
overseas members of the family being taken away with
the aid of the cabinet. Parliament and Cabinet at this
length had been interestingly considered to be
engaged in a zero-sum recreation in which the positive
factors of one have been equal to the loss of the other.
A excellent notion might also be assassinated with the
aid of the weight of Parliamentary votes. The army
interregnum of 1966-1979 had no legislature to work
with but depended closely on thoughts from a variety
of suppose tank companies in the Nigerian society on
overseas coverage matters. It can also be stated that
Mohammed
–
Obasanjo regime triumphed in overseas
coverage problems and in addition set Nigeria in
suitable historic landmark in the comity of nations.
To keep an positive profile in exterior relations, Special
Committees on overseas family members had been
created in each chambers of the National Assembly.
The House of Representatives installed a twenty-five
member Foreign Affairs Committee below the
Chairmanship of Alhaji Abubakar Sani, whilst the
Senate additionally constituted a committee on
Foreign Relations consisting of 9 Senators with Alhaji
Jallo Waziri as its Chairman (Akindele, 1982:496). The
Committees at each Houses had been free to observe
things and referrals to them on overseas affairs. This
used to be a departure from the Nigerian Parliament
1960
–
1966. (Akindele, 1983) superior that it is
controversial whether or not the committee made an
affect on the behavior and manipulate of the country's
overseas strategy. Besides the problems raised above,
some of the challenges confronted via the Foreign
Affairs Committees at each Chambers have been that
they have been no longer supported safely with
research staff, they met as a substitute occasionally
and took too a great deal time to record to their
respective father or mother our bodies (Olusanya and
Akindele, 1986:27). The army juntas that accompanied
thereafter lacked legitimacy and mandate of the
people, hence, may want to no longer establish the
resemblance of self-government
–
the legislature
which would have mounted committees on Foreign
Affairs. As usual, the legislature was once sacked.
The home and overseas policies of the Abuja
authorities
1999-2007
re-launched
Nigeria
to
international reckoning; the as soon as battered photo
used to be cleared and there was once a rejuvenation
of hope and have faith in Nigeria and Nigerians. Many
of the home insurance policies especially, the
institution of the Independent Corrupt Practices and
Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
geared in the direction of the revitalization of Nigeria
from corruption to glory set the country in advance in
its warfare towards corruption. The Commissions
below the Law have electricity to look into instances of
corruption, monetary crime referred to or uncovered
by way of it. The EFCC made indelible marks in the
battle in opposition to corruption. Casualties such as
the former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun,
Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wagbara, Cabinet
Ministers of Education Professor Fabian Osuji, and the
Ministry of Health Prof. Greenge as properly as the
Permanent Secretary of that Ministry and Senator
Iyabo Obasanjo. Others are rankings of ex - Governors
and many others have been detained and prosecuted.
The Transparency International itself has accorded
awareness to the efforts of the buildings and the
political will of the President in conflict corruption, a
essential pillar on which Federal Republic of Nigeria
bad photo is primarily based (Saliu, 2006:256).
However, critics of the authorities see the combat as
selective and focused solely in opposition to perceived
Volume 03 Issue 03-2023
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International Journal Of Law And Criminology
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VOLUME
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SJIF
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Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
enemies of the Obasanjo Government. Furthermore,
his sensitivity to the desires of Nigerians thru the
retirement of political army officers from Armed forces
in order to make certain the everlasting subordination
of the navy to authorities authority attracted the
admiration of the worldwide community. The
consolidation coverage in banking and insurance plan
which used to be aimed at setting apart the wheat
from the chaff as nicely as the combat on counterfeit
and pretend capsules with the aid of National Agency
for Food and Drug Administration have been insurance
policies put in area to put Nigeria in the the front
burner and make the united states greater admirable
and relied on by way of our overseas friends.
CONCLUSION
A dialogue of the Federal Republic of Nigeria overseas
strategy, 1999 -2007 is an annotation of the eight years
of Obasanjo’s overseas strategy, given that he
superintended over the state in the duration below
overview as the Chief diplomat, he extra or much less
dominated Federal Republic of Nigeria political scene
so frighteningly that it is pointless checklist his
casualties now not solely amongst his opponents
however additionally inside his pals of the day before
today demonized into the toxic enemies of today. It is
essential to kingdom that earlier than the length
underneath review, Nigeria had been a pariah State,
however via the efforts of the legislature and
executive, Nigeria was once launched lower back into
international reckoning. The hitherto closed doorways
grew to be opened. The National Assembly, the
Presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its
corporations and different establishments of the State
facilitated the process. The Obasanjo led Federal
Government was once capable to obtain that toes due
to the fact of his dexterity and assumed battle towards
corruption thru the putting up of anti - graft
Institutions like the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices
Commission (ICPC) and the strengthening of anti
–
corruption Institutions.
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1.
Akindele, R. A. (1982). The National Assembly and
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2.
Akindele, R. A. (1990). The Operation &
Management of Federal Republic of Nigeria
Foreign Strategy System: Reflections on the
Experience of the First Thirty Years" in Olusanya G.,
O. and Akindele R., A. (eds), The Structure and
Processes of Foreign Strategy Making and
Implementation in Nigeria, 1960
–
1990. Ibadan:
Vantage Publishers International Ltd.
3.
Akinyemi, B. (1983). A Farewell to Strategy. NIIA
Lecture Series, 35, mentioned in Hassan A.
4.
Aluko, O. (1981). Essays on Nigerian Foreign
Strategy. London: George, Allen and Union.
5.
Aminu, J. (2005). The Impact of Domestic
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