Major Contentions on Nigeria’s Afrocentric Policy

The quest for dominance/leadership in the region of Africa has been an enduring component of Nigeria’s foreign policy. However, the literature on Nigeria’s Africa policy is replete with ideas that favour the policy and those that make the policy indefensible. These opposing ideas—including the underlying arguments—have been carefully articulated by foreign policy authors, observers and practitioners. Although the arguments for the retention of the policy have been largely influenced by realist considerations, those holding opposing views have wondered whether sustaining the policy will be in the overall interest of Nigeria—particularly given the country’s changing/fluctuating fortunes in pursuing the policy. While this study finds the contending views intellectually stimulating, its objective is to contribute to the debate by offering a perspective which represents a compromise position between the contending ideas. This study argues that it will be in Nigeria’s overall interest to retain the policy while allowing critical reforms that could help mitigate the misgivings surrounding the policy.