SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF NIGERIA’S FOREIGN POLICY OF BIG BROTHER

Abstract

Every nation is an actor in the global scene and deploys certain variables of power and influence to achieve interests beneficial to its citizens, development, and prestige. This paper, therefore, puts into perspective the costs and benefits of Nigeria’s foreign policy of ‘Big Brother’ to several African countries. It traces the historicity and rationale behind the country’s foreign policy perspective. The nature of Nigeria’s relationship with its immediate neighbours, notably Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, had profound significance for the lives of its citizens in various ways. The discourse centres on the impact of the relationship on the country's economy and security. The paper adopted a historical analytical approach, and the findings reveal that Nigeria’s actions in the international arena, particularly with its immediate neighbours, led to weak immigration policies and the accommodation of criminal aliens, which posed considerable threats to the country’s security and economic development. The study’s findings indicate that the fluid migration of the armed  guerrilla fighters who escaped from Libya resulted in an increase in small and light weapons in large quantities in Nigeria. The ‘I have it all, and I will carry the burden of the less endowed with resources’ policy of Nigeria is detrimental to national cohesion. The ethnic and religious contiguity between Nigeria and its immediate neighbours and the incongruous national interests of the various countries made the borders difficult to control. The study concludes that internal variables should be premium in the country’s relationship with other countries.