Nigerian Foreign Policy Implications on National Development: A Critical Assessment of Buhari’s Beggar-thy-Neighbour Policy

This paper focuses on Nigerian foreign policy implications on national development by critically assessing the President Buhari’s Beggar-thy-Neighbour policy from 2018-2019. The study seeks to unveil the implication(s) of this policy on the country’s national image and economic development. The methodology adopted for the study is qualitative and explorative research design. The population of the study comprises of border security officers, customs, immigrations, formal imports and exports businesses, informal local businesses and illicit businesses. The Epi Info sample calculator was applied to arrive at a sample size of 384; at 50% expected frequency, 95% level of confidence (5% acceptable margin of error) and leaving design effect and clusters equal to 1 respectively. Judgmental, quota and snowball sampling were employed to select and access the samples. Key Informant Interview (KII) method was applied to elicit valid data. The KII data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Findings of the study reveal clearly that the border closure appears to mean different things to different persons and groups. To some persons it is a right step in the right direction in the fight against smuggling and other nefarious cross border and inter-border activities. Some others are of the opinion that the border closure was not embarked upon in good faith but rather disguised to serve the self-interest of a select few in the helm of affairs and their cronies. The study concludes that the border closure, irrespective of the rationale and the potential as well as actual advantages and disadvantages was an intricate, multifaceted and complex decision. The study recommends among others multilateral dialogue at least, at the sub-regional, regional or even multinational level for all affected parties to present and iron out their cases rather than resort to self-help that could breach international protocol or undermine national sovereignty.