CONTEMPORARY IMPORTANCE OF COLONIAL LEGACY OF NIGERIA’S RELATIONS WITH HER NEIGHBOURS

Abstract

The colonial legacy continues to exert a profound influence on Nigeria’s relations with its neighbouring states in West and Central Africa. This study examined the contemporary significance of that legacy, with a focus on the political, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions of interstate interactions. Using a historical–analytical approach, it explored how colonial-era boundaries, administrative practices, and economic linkages, largely crafted by British and French colonial powers, shaped patterns of cooperation, competition, and conflict in the post-independence period. The paper discovered that the persistence of artificial borders, cross-border ethnic linkages, and inherited diplomatic orientations still frames Nigeria’s engagements with neighbours such as Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. While these legacies have at times fuelled disputes over territory, migration, and resource control, they have also provided frameworks for regional integration efforts through bodies like ECOWAS and the Multinational Joint Task Force. It also revealed how Nigeria’s foreign policy and security strategies remain tethered to colonial-era realities, even as globalization, economic interdependence, and transnational threats reshape the regional environment. The paper recommended that understanding this enduring colonial imprint is crucial for crafting diplomatic, security, and economic policies that promote stable and mutually beneficial relations with neighbouring states.