FOREIGN POLICY AND THE QUEST FOR CITIZEN-CENTRED DIPLOMACY: THE ‘NIGERIA FIRST’ CONUNDRUM

Abstract

Nigeria’s foreign policy formulation and implementation has been carried out by successive administrations in Nigeria and consistently tailored to be Afrocentric in consonance with the commitment of the country towards Africa’s stability and development. However, in the year 2020, the Federal Government of Nigeria repositioned its international relations apparatus and adopted ‘Nigeria First’ as the new foreign policy anchored on citizen centered diplomacy to reflect domestic realities. The realities bordered on nine priority areas in which the Nigerian government planned to pursue its bilateral and multilateral affairs in the interest of the nation. This development, indeed, represents a paradigm shift from the norm- the traditional Africa-centred foreign policy. Beyond the familiar foreign policy sloganeering, appreciation of the ‘Nigeria First’ foreign policy conception and how it can be practiced for the benefits of Nigerians became imperative. Thus, this paper interrogated the new foreign policy in the area of its protection of Nigeria and Nigerians around the world. The article also explored the ‘America First’ approach to citizen centered diplomacy in order for lessons to be learnt in the execution of the Nigeria’s new foreign policy construct. The main sources of information for this work were the relevant textbooks, journals and the internet. In order to harness the gains of the ‘Nigeria First’ foreign policy, this paper argued that Nigeria needs to invest heavily on Nigerians then use the instrumentality of the new foreign policy direction to protect and promote the greater good of Nigerians across the globe.