Abstract:
This study examines the different out lines of Nigeria’s national interest by successive Nigeria’s governments; focusing on national interest and conduct of Nigeria’s military regime. It proceeds from two research questions on, was General Babangida’s self succession project implicated in the conduct of Nigeria’s external relations and was class interest implicated in Nigeria’s external engagement within the period in question. Using Marxist instrumentalist theoretical model as our analytical tool, and applying qualitative descriptive analytical method and observational method of data collection, our two hypothesis drawn from the research questions thus, that self succession project of the political leadership was implicated in the conduct of Nigeria’s external relations and that the advancement of class interest tend to inform Nigeria’s diplomatic relations and Babangida’s regime are properly validated. It is equally, our argument in this study that state in capitalist society, including Nigeria serves or promotes the interest of the capitalist class, especially that of the ruling class. The findings of this work has been fashioned by the character of Nigeria’s political economy, which is fragile in conjunction with the structure imposed by underdevelopment and capitalist society as a result of the linkages with international dependency. Therefore, self-succession project of the political leadership and class interest informed Nigeria’s diplomatic relation under General Babangida’s administration. We hence, recommends the needs for political resurgence, re-orientation of the Nigerian citizens life, involving experts in the foreign policy making and implementation, also to safeguard the present civilian regime type and to gear Nigeria’s policies and foreign policy towards the fundamental needs and problems of Nigerian citizens.
