From ‘citizen diplomacy’ to ‘harsh border diplomacy’: Debating the relevance of Afrocentrism in Nigeria’s contemporary Foreign policy

Abstract

Nigerian political leadership at independence crafted an African-centred foreign policy as an aspiring regional hegemon. It relentlessly pursued this ‘Manifest Destiny’ by mobilizing its human, and material resources to several African states in a bid to carve a putative regional influence in the continent. Though successive governments have internalized this unique foreign policy thrust over the years, the return to democratic governance in late 1999 has, however, seen a decline in Nigeria's commitment to the ideals of Afrocentrism. While Yar’Adua’s ‘Citizenship Diplomacy’ and Buhari’s ‘Border closure’ are a response to the plethora of domestic challenges, they nonetheless present a challenge to Nigeria’s traditional African diplomacy. This study, which relies on secondary data, contends that Nigeria’s contemporary foreign policy thrusts represent the irrelevance of Afrocentrism. It also argues that the relegation of the Africafocused external relations would have implications for Nigeria’s continental leadership aspiration, and peace in West Africa specifically. Therefore, the findings of the study revealed that the erosion of the Nigerian hegemonic leadership in the ECOWAS region will encourage interventions of extra-African actors in the African crises.