Declining Hegemonical Foreign Policies of Nigeria: A Historico-Political Analysis

This book examines Nigeria’s declining political hegemony in Africa between 1985 and 2022, a period characterised by dramatic internal political, social and economic downturns that negatively affected her image and international relations. The study traces the country’s shifting leadership and foreign policies through different eras. Chapters analysing Nigerian foreign policy internal dynamics, ideology, her military and civilian rule, and how these played out in Nigeria’s regional influence, paint a holistic politico-historical portrait of a nation in hegemonic decline from 1989 continuing into the present day. Deploying National Role Conception as an analytical tool to contextualise and dissect Nigerian foreign policy, this book deepens our understanding of Nigerian international relations, and challenges preconceptions as to how, and through what lens, foreign policies of declining states can and should be considered. Through its approach, the book offers scholars, students, researchers and policymakers fresh perspectives and tools for analysing foreign policies of states, particularly Nigeria.

Sheriff Folarin is Professor of International Relations and teaches at Texas State University and the University of Rwanda. He has had a rich academic career spanning twenty-four years. He has held academic leadership and teaching positions at reputable institutions across Africa and the USA, and is recipient of prestigious international fellowships and awards, such as the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) and Study of United States Institute (SUSI) Fellowship. He has been instrumental in launching and editing academic publications, including the Covenant University Journal of Politics and International Affairs, and the Africa Symposia Issues of the Good Governance Worldwide, a journal of the American Society for Public Administration.