NIGERIAN GOVERNMENTS AND THE POLICY OF NONALIGNMENT 1960

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NIGERIAN GOVERNMENTS AND THE POLICY OF NONALIGNMENT 1960 – 1992.

ABSTRACT

The study evaluates Nigerian Government Policy of Nonalignment between 1960 – 1992. the Post Second World War international System which faced Nigerian at the time of her independence in 1960 was a conflictual system rather than a harmonious one. Foremost of this development was the emergence of military blocs, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the Warsaw Pact Security alliance. All eflecting the ideologies of Communism and Capitalism. Against this background, most African countries including Nigeria defined their position in relation to this conflict and chose the nonalignment policy. Nonaligned-Movement therefore emerged as a response to this ideological conflict. Most African countries including Nigeria at independence discovered that the liberation of their colonies from Western colonial rule did not mean that they wanted to become anybody’s satellite, hence the rejection of bloc politics. The focus of the study therefore centres on whether Nigeria practices nonalignment policy or not. Nigerian government at independence, rejected the nonalignment. The reason was that during this period, the linchpin in Nigeria’s diplomatic strategy was the maintenance of alliance with Britain. This attitude underwent gradual transformation. By 1962 nonalignment was reluctantly accepted as a cardinal principle of her foreign policy. The movement was conceived in strictly miliary security terms. It began to be seen as a doctrine for economic development. It implied for Nigerian leaders a policy of diversify dependence to achieve the goals of political and economic development in the face of the cold war. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of the Eastern bloc, the question has been whether the nonalignment remains valid as a policy and as a movement. It has been argued that the movement will not endure in the emerging new world order. On the other hand, it is believed that the collapse of bipolarity will now provide a renewed interest in consolidating regional self interest. In this end, nonalignment will act as a forum for development question. The collapse of bipolarity and the emergence of the hegemony of the U.S.A and the European community has both political and economic implications on Nigeria’s development. The decreasing share of Africa in the world trade, taken together with the drive towards rapid democratization in Eastern Europe and consolidated EEC, have encouraged both the Easthern and Western blocs to become inward looking. It is also believed that the Western investors and governments would be reluctant at proposing aid to Nigeria. The capital would be diverted to Eastern European countries. The dependent posture of the Nigerian government would need be redefined in the light of the changing circumstance in the international arena, and its commitment to the policy of nonalignment. In this end, Nigeria’s political and economic response to the changing imbalance in the international system should be to create a conducive atmosphere within, through which the release of resources for development, and by greater emphasis on the non military aspect of securities. Nigeria, given her resource base, could, under the nonalignment forum act as a driving force for development and so propel other countries in the Nonaligned movement in the process of integration.

NIGERIAN GOVERNMENTS AND THE POLICY OF NONALIGNMENT 1960 – 1992.


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