Foreign Policy & Economic Development in Nigeria

President Olusegun Obasanjo’s foreign policy under democratic rule has returned into global reckoning after a decade of isolation in which Nigeria became a pariah nation. Though the global regional and domestic terrain in which Nigeria has to operate has spawned new challenges there is no doubt that with the deepening of democracy and economic reconstruction the country can bounce back as the foremost African and Black power. Nigeria remains an economic and military power house in West Africa. Beside it is also an influential voice in African affairs and a recognized major actor among developing countries as Chairman of G-77. Clearly under the Obasanjo civilian administration Nigeria’s foreign policy has got a fresh lease of life no doubt powered by his personality and profile as a respected statesman and the legitimacy conferred on Nigeria by its return to democratic rule.