NIGERIAN FOREIGN POLICY UNDER GENERAL IBRAHIM BADAMOSI BABANGIDA
(1985 – 1993)
Nigeria’s foreign policy under General Ibrahim Babangida was one in which Nigeria played active role in the crises in West African sub-region especially Liberia and Sierra-Leone. Nigeria’s involvement in the internal affairs of other countries got rekindled in 1988. First was to settle the border conflict between Burkina Faso and Mali. In this instance, Nigeria brokered a peace agreement acceptable to both sides but which was frustrated by France using Code d’ivore.
Nigeria renewed interest in global and African affairs throughout the period of General Babangida. Nigeria’s foreign minister shuttled between Tripoli and Abidjan each time there crises in Africa who are French speaking people. Nigeria negotiated more with former colonial powers than the country that crisis is emanating from. Our former colonial masters still exercise much influence than the other African countries.
Today, Nigeria has responded to virtually all the calls by the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS and other bodies for peace and conflict resolution.
Also, Nigeria has as well responded to the calls of distress by countries that are undergoing one natural disaster or the other. Nigeria recently demonstrated such swift response by providing aids to earthquake ridden Chile and Haiti.