Nigeria’s foreign policy during President Buhari’s time in office

The document analyzes the foreign policy of Nigeria under President Buhari, highlighting a lack of coherence between domestic goals and regional aspirations. Key issues discussed include the 2019 land border closures, which aimed to curb smuggling but increased food inflation and harmed regional trade; the delayed ratification of the AfCFTA due to domestic productivity concerns; and the decline of the oil sector caused by insecurity and poor governance, which deterred foreign direct investment. It also evaluates the role of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) in managing relations with Nigerians abroad amidst increasing economic migration.

• The closure of land borders with Benin Republic, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon in August 2019 created a conflict between Nigeria's goals for agricultural development and its regional relationships. While intended to stop the smuggling of drugs, arms, and petroleum, the policy led to a sharp increase in food inflation, rising from 13.51 per cent in September 2019 to 19.56 per cent by December 2020.
• The border closure negatively impacted the informal sector in West Africa, where informal employment accounts for 90 per cent of jobs and 50 per cent of GDP. This caused significant losses in household incomes and tax revenues for smaller neighboring countries, violating ECOWAS agreements on freedom of movement.
• Nigeria was among the last countries to ratify the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) because local manufacturers and traders feared that high business costs and low productivity would make Nigerian goods uncompetitive. Productivity is hindered by inadequate mechanisation, irregular electricity, and environmental issues like annual flooding and desertification in the north.
• Despite productivity challenges in goods, Nigeria's service sector†which contributes 46 per cent of GDP and employs 53.1 per cent of the population–is well-positioned to benefit from the AfCFTA, particularly in ICT, financial services, and cultural exports like film and music.
• Foreign direct investment in Nigeria's oil sector has been severely hindered by domestic insecurity and poor governance. Daily production fell from 1.49 million barrels in 2020 to 1.14 million in 2022, exacerbated by the fact that approximately 20 per cent of daily production is stolen through pipeline vandalism and bunkering.
• The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), established in May 2019, provides essential damage control and assistance–such as responding to 2019 xenophobic attacks in South Africa and evacuations from Ukraine–but lacks the power to prevent abuses or resolve systemic issues like passport bribery and delays.

APA

Abiola, S. (2023). Nigeria’s foreign policy during President Buhari’s time in office. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/de/gruener-wasserstoff-potenziale-namibia-en

Chicago

Abiola, Saratu. Nigeria’s foreign policy during President Buhari’s time in office. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2023. https://afripoli.org/de/gruener-wasserstoff-potenziale-namibia-en.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Abiola |first1=Saratu |title=Nigeria’s foreign policy during President Buhari’s time in office |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=13 February 2023 |url=https://afripoli.org/de/gruener-wasserstoff-potenziale-namibia-en |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{abiola2023nigerias, author = {Abiola, Saratu}, title = {{Nigeria’s foreign policy during President Buhari’s time in office}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://afripoli.org/de/gruener-wasserstoff-potenziale-namibia-en}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }