NIGERIA AND THE WORLD

SS 3

GOVERNMENT

FIRST TERM

LESSON NOTE SCHEME OF WORK

WEEKLY LESSON NOTE 

SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT

WEEK: 8

TOPIC: NIGERIA AND THE WORLD – The Inter-dependence of Nations and

Globalization:

CONTENT: (a) Inter-dependence of nations. (b) Community of nations. (c) Purpose of interaction. (d) Nigeria’s interaction; (i) Economic (ii) Political (iii) Social-Cultural.

(d) Merits and demerits.

• SUB – TOPIC 1: Community of Nations.

Nigeria as a member of global international community cannot operate successfully without relating with the rest of the world. This is born out of the fact that no country of the world can exist in isolation of the rest and no nation can produce all their needs or desires. Therefore, interaction is a necessary phenomenon because of the mutual benefits from such exercise. For this purpose, like other countries of the world, Nigeria established Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates abroad to protect the interests of the country in other countries just as other countries have theirs in Nigeria.

A 1989 publication by the Federal Military Government, Four Years of the Babangida Administration, summarized the priority issues of Nigerian foreign policy: the abolition of apartheid in South Africa; the enhancement of Nigeria’s relations with member countries of the European Economic Community (EEC), the United States, the Soviet Union, and with other major industrialized countries to increase the flow of foreign investments and capital into Nigeria; and continued support for international organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Relations with other African states constituted the cornerstone of Nigerian foreign policy.

The Ministry of External Affairs was directly responsible for foreign policy formulation and implementation. Because matters were usually left in the hands of the minister and his officials, foreign policy positions could change radically from one minister to another, depending on the minister’s orientation. In addition to the minister’s immediate staff, there was a small foreign policy elite comprising other top government officials, interest group leaders, academicians, top military officers, religious leaders, and journalists. This elite exerted indirect influence through communiqués and press releases, as well as direct pressure on the government. In 1986 a conference–to which every stratum of these elite was invited–was held to review Nigeria’s foreign policy and recommend broad policy frameworks for the 1990s and beyond.

Several factors conditioned Nigeria’s foreign policy positions. First, the ethnic and religious mix of the country required cautious positions on some issues, such as policy toward Israel. Nigeria found it difficult to restore diplomatic ties with Israel and had not done so as of 1990 because of Muslim opposition and sympathy with the rest of the Arab Muslim world. Second, Nigeria’s legacy as an ex-British colony, combined with its energy-producing role in the global economy, predisposed Nigeria to be pro-Western on most issues despite the desire to maintain a nonaligned status to avoid

neocolonialism. In 1990 this pro-Western posture was reinforced by Nigeria’s “economic diplomacy,” which involved negotiating trade concessions, attracting foreign investors, and rescheduling debt repayment to Western creditors. Third, the country’s membership in and commitment to several international organizations, such as the United Nations and bodies mentioned earlier, also affected foreign policy positions. Fourth, and most important, as the most populous country in Africa and the entire black world, Nigeria perceived itself as the “giant” of Africa and the potential leader of the black race. Thus, Nigerian external relations have emphasized African issues, which have become the avowed cornerstone of foreign policy.

These factors have caused certain issues to dominate Nigerian foreign policy across various governments, but each government has had distinctive priorities and style. During the 1950s and early 1960s, foreign policy aimed at proper behavior in the international system, and British authorities played a major role in Nigerian foreign relations. Consequently, the Balewa government stressed world peace, respected sovereign equality, and maintained nonalignment based on friendship with any country that took a reciprocal position. After the fall of the First Republic, critics asserted that the government had been too Pro Western and not strong enough on decolonization or integration, and that the low profile had been embarrassing. Nonetheless, Gowon continued to keep a low profile by operating within the consensus of the OAU and by following routes of quiet diplomacy.

The civil war marked a distinct break in Nigerian foreign policy. The actions of various countries and international bodies during the war increased awareness of the alignments within Africa and appreciation of the positive role that the OAU could play in African affairs. Whereas white-dominated African countries had supported Biafra, the OAU sided with the federation by voting for unity. The OAU stance proved helpful for Nigerian diplomacy. Nigeria first turned to the Soviet Union for support after the West refused to provide arms to the federation, and after the war, a less pro-Western stance was maintained. At the same time, Africa remained Nigeria’s top priority. In the mid- to late 1970s, attention focused on the liberation of southern Africa, on the integration of ECOWAS, and on the need for complete economic independence throughout Africa. These goals were included in the 1979 constitution: promotion of African unity; political, economic, social, and cultural liberation of Africa; international cooperation; and elimination of racial discrimination.

SUB – TOPIC 2:

PURPOSE OF INTERACTION Nation-state world interact as a result of the following reasons:

1. Economic Reasons: No nation is self-sufficient economically; they therefore interact with others in other to get those economic resources they cannot get from their country. The resources of the world that are inequitably distributed are redistributed through economic interactions among nations of the world. Other factors that make economic interaction among nations of the world imperative include: difference in climatic conditions, differences in skills and technical know-how, differences in the level of industrialization, quality and quantity of labour force, differences in the cost of production, the need to expand market,

1. Political Reasons:The need for security is one of the reasons why nations of the world interact politically. Nations of the world come together to form association and

organizations that in order not to protect their territorial integrity and domination by other countries but also protect human race from destruction. It was the above reasons that led to the formation of the League of Nations, North Atlantic Treaty organizations Warsaw Pact, United Nations African Union, Non-Align Movement, etc.

• Socio – Cultural Reasons: Socio-cultural interaction among nations is aim at fostering friendliness among one another. Exchange of cultural interactions, entertainment, etc. these interactions can take place through sports and games like the Olympic Games, World Cup Competition, European Championship, West African Football Union (WAFU), etc. It can also take the form of staging musical and cultural festivals like the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) and musical shows by foreign musicians.

MERITS OF NIGERIAN INTER-DEPENDENCE AND GLOBALIZATION

1. Interactions between countries of the world have led to the establishment of political Organizations, Unions, Association and Blocs as well as Embassies or High Commission.

1. Friendly Relationship: Countries of the world become friendly when they relate and war situations will be prevented and they will be able to pursue beneficial interests.

• Technical Assistance: countries can benefit from technical and scientific assistance from one another when they interact.

1. Reduction of Hostilities: Hostilities in the world are reduced to the barest minimum through interaction and this will promote world peace.

1. Widens Market: Interaction will increase volume of trade and buying and selling of good s and services will increase.

1. Exchange of Culture: Socio-Cultural interaction among the nations of the world lead to exchange of cultural artifacts and across fertilization.

• Increase Value of national Currency: States that relate will exchange their currencies

and with those of other states and the value of such currencies will increase and be known worldwide.

iix. Promotion of Tourism: Interaction will encourage tourism in that people will visit tourist centres in other lands. This will promote friendly relationship and promote national economy.

1. Civilization/ Modernization: Countries will benefit from one another better by learning new things from other countries, especially the advanced countries of the world.

DISADVANTAGES OF INTERACTIONS AMONG NATIONS OF THE WORLD.

1. Cultural/Social problems: through interactions in sports, cultural concerts, etc, social problems such as immoral acts, promiscuity, indecent dressing, prostitution, etc could be exported into some countries.

1. Interference of state: Developed nations can still interfere in the domestic affars of less developed nations because of the economic benefits the less developed countries are deriving from the developed nations.

• Neo-colonialism: Interactions among states, economically, politically, etc can lead to neo-colonialism and this can make nonsense of the hard-won independence of these developing states from their erstwhile colonial masters.

1. Inferior or Poorly Produced Goods: Interactions among states can lead to some developed countries making some of the third world countries dumping ground their inferior, fairly used or poorly produced goods.
2. Control of States: political and economic interactions associated with the membership of some of the organizations, e.g. UNO, I.M.F. etc can bring about control of the sovereign of less powerful states, as most of these organizations are controlled by big powers.