International Relations and Nation building: The Nigerian Experience Since 1999

Abstract

The intrinsic interrelatedness between International Relations and the art of nation-building is well-established in the international system both in theory and practice. In the system, no nation-state can be said to be self-sufficient without relating with other states to drive its nation building as a systematic process. Meanwhile, the acts and manners in which nation building is anchored have concomitant effects on its external relations especially how it is perceived. A pluralistic Nigerian nation, and as a Third-World state, is far from the semblance of a nation. (Awolowo, 1987); argued that Nigeria is not a nation but a mere geographical expression. It therefore translates the uphill task for Nigeria to build its ‘nation’ amid both domestic and external complex forces, within the context of international relations. Due to limited resources, this study adopted a secondary collection of data readily available in journal articles, using qualitative analysis with the concept of domestic-political descriptions to x-ray how nation-building shapes Nigeria’s external relations, and vice versa. This paper studied some myriad challenges of nation-building confronting Nigeria since its nascent democracy in 1999. Until Nigerians see themselves as a nation, their nation building will always be challenged abroad.