Repositioning the Nigerian Foreign Policy for the Coming Multi-World Order

Nigeria’s foreign policy is afro-centric in nature, with focus significantly on the prosperity and non-interference approach to its fellow African countries. Nigeria has supported her counterparts in difficult times to achieve success. But the rivalry, lack of support, and persistent pull-down syndrome, Nigeria has experienced over the decades in Africa, has prevented Nigeria from achieving the desired potentials of becoming a developed and renowned regional hegemon. As the present international structure changes towards a totally new structure, conceptualized as a multi-world order, the need to reposition the Nigerian foreign policy to reflect her domestic interest is imperative. Although the idea of a multi-world order stands contrary to the Nigerian foreign policy, the coming multi-world order is one that, economic partnerships, diplomatic ties, and international alliances between divergent actors in complex division and gatherings are needed to achieve economic growth. However, each perspective directs to a credible future, neither captures fully what the future holds. The qualitative method of data used critically examined the genesis of the current international structure as one with multiple ‘orders’ embedded within a whole international arena. The theoretical predictions show that with the ‘multi-order world’, the liberal order will continue, and may even be strengthened domestically but its international reach will be greatly reduced. The paper argued, the solution to the multi-world order is the urgent need for Nigerian foreign policy-makers and scholars to note that the coming multi-world order will be radically unalike, requiring new mental thinkers and strengthen institutions and the acceptance of variety in both power and doctrine in order to survive. It concludes that the challenge ahead is to forge and sustain existing and new forms of relationships to manage the multi-order world.