Actitudes positivas que se destacan en las organizaciones de desarrollo.

A fundamental aspect of Nigeria's national interest is the nation's security which thus makes the military factor an important determinant of Nigeria's foreign policy. The Armed Forces as an entity is crucial in understanding the country's character and behaviour. The Armed Forces of Nigeria have grown appreciable in size and equality. The military strength of the country during the First Republic was very low. It consisted primarily of 'officer' cadre that was engaged mainly in ceremonial functions. The fratricidal civil war of (1967-70) however propelled the expansion of the military establishment. This also enhanced its strength, resources and capability. The arm forces have help influence Nigeria foreign policy choice positively. For instance, Nigeria through her military might has been able to play the Afro-centric foreign policy big brother role, specifically in achieving peace, stability, decolonization and ending apartheid objectives for

43 African countries. And this has projected Nigeria in the World as Africa supper power. For instance, Nigeria's soldiers participated in peacekeeping operation in Liberia. Nigeria contributed immensely to the ECOWAS Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), an interventionist mediation force to end the persistent Liberian civil war. Nigeria shared the joy of the return to democracy by Liberia (Yakubu, 2011:101). Also, was the role the country played in peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone? Following after a long period of military rule, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was elected president of Sierra Leone on March 17, 1996. Little more than one year later, on May 25, 1997 he and his democratically elected Government were overthrown in a bloody coup led by dissident military officers and rebels from Sierra Leone’s long standing insurgency. In March 1998, a peace keeping force under Nigerian leadership with considerable help from a British/Africa mercenary from a local paramilitary entered Freetown, and restored Kabbah and his government. The motives of the Nigerian intervention were two-fold: there was a natural desire for regional security, but General Sani Abacha also wanted international legitimacy for his regime which was being discredited by the international community (Yakubu, 2011). At the peak of the operations, ECOMOG had 13, 000 troops in the country which conducted the operations. Late in 1999 the disputants in the Sierra Leonean conflict signed an agreement in Lome, Togo to end the crisis; thus paving the way for United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) (Anifowose,1999; Peter, 2008).

Nevertheless, many other examples of peacekeeping mission in which Nigeria involved and has projected her image globally include: Sending a battalion to Congo 1960-1964; Military observers to new Guinea 1962-1963; battalion to Tanzania by bilateral agreement 1964; Military observers during the India-Pakistan conflict 1965-1966; battalion and staff officers to Lebanon, 1978-1983; battalion and staff officers to Chad (Harmony I, via bilateral agreement) 1981-1982;

brigade to Chad (Harmony II, under the auspices of OAU) 1982-1983; military observers during Iran-Iraq conflict 1988-1991; division to Liberia 1990 to date; military observers for Iraq-Kuwait 1991, and to Angola 1991-1992; training teams for Sierra Leone 1992-1995; military observers to Namibia 1989-1990; to western Sahara 1991; and to Cambodia 1992-1993. The country also contributed a battalion and staff officers to Somalia 1992-1994; battalion and staff officers to the former Yugoslavia 1992; military observers to Mozambique 1992; a battalion to Rwanda; 1993;

training teams to the Gambia 1993; military observers A ouzo strip 1994; and to Israel 1995;

Liberia 1987; Sierra Leone 1996; Darfur 2003 (Hamman, Mustafa, and Omojuwa, 2014). In sum, Nigeria has been able to maintain good diplomatic relations with other sovereign nations of the world; she has been able to contribute immensely, human resources (Arms forces) towards the security and peace in Africa and the world through her active participation in peacekeeping operations at various times under the ECOWAS, ECOMOG and the United Nations Organizations (Echikwonye, 2016). Therefore, the military factor since independence has made Nigeria to play a decisive role in international community, particular in her pursuit of foreign policy of peace and security in Africa, and in the rest of the world.

SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE

How does the military factor constitute a foreign policy determinant?

44 3.8 Demographic Factor

Population constitutes an important indicator of a country's power potential and thus influences its foreign policy. The question of human resources in country affects, in one way or the other, the foreign policy of the country. The quality of the population is even more significant. The articulate nature of the citizenry for instance influences the kind of foreign policy decision that is taken on certain sensitive issues (Njoku and Nwafor, 2005). Nigeria, officially known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country that is located on the western coast of Africa. The country features 36 states including its Federal Capital Territory, which is known as Abuja. The country of Nigeria features over five hundred different ethnic groups, many different languages, and declared its independence from the United Kingdom (Britain) on October 1, 1960. The total population of citizens in Nigeria was around 166.2 million people (Nigeria National Bureau of Statistics, 2012). In 2016, it is estimated to have over 178.5 million people although United Nations projections have placed the population as high as 186 million. Nigeria is the largest geographical unit in West Africa, with land area of 910,802 square kilometers (World Population Review, 2016). Nigeria's has three largest ethnic groups each with a population of over ten million, these include the Hausa-Fulani in the North; the Yoruba in the West; and the Igbo in the East. The others are called the 'minorities' of which the Kanuri, Tiv, Jukun, Idoma, Zar etc (in the North); the Edo, Ijaw, Urhobo, Itsekiri (in the West) and the Annang, Efik, Ibibio, together by force as manifested by the civil war of 1967-1970 (Dauda, 2006:1-2).

However, it became quite obvious to Nigeria at independence in 1960, that she has a prominent and a leading role a Africa, because regional perspective on her population advantages was palpable. Comparatively, Nigeria's population was twice that of Egypt, three times that of South Africa and twelve times that of Zambia. Nigeria alone constitutes 25% of the total African population. In area, Nigeria is roughly equivalent to France, Italy, Belgium and Holland put together. From Lagos, a city in the South-west, to Maiduguri a state capital in the North-east is equivalent to the distance between London and Warsaw in Poland. These imply how strategic Nigeria occupies in Africa and what should be her new role in stabilizing Africa and to make it a force to reckon with. Following her independence, Nigeria came of age to engage in intercourse with other actions of the international system (Umeh, 2015). Hence, it has been noted that the population of the Nigeria and that of her West Africa neigbouring countries was a considerable factor in Nigeria's foreign policy formulation choices at independence. For instance, Fawole (2003) points out that:

it was evident at independence that Nigeria was not having the intention to dominate or jeopardized the integrity of any country despite her demographic and enormous resources advantage over neigbours. This prompted Nigeria to see it as a necessity to assure its immediate neigbours that these advantages notwithstanding, it would not pursue policies that would interfere in their internal affairs, neither would it harbour any territorial or expansionist designs against the its smaller and weaker neighours. Nigeria alone is half the entire prominent in West Africa, a sub-region of sixteen states which harbours most of Africa mini-states. This is a sub-region where Nigeria alone is half the entire population and thus stands out as an indisputable colossus. Nigeria assure its immediate neigbours that it would respect their equality and thus avoid any tendency to

45 interfere with their domestic affairs. Balewa thus assured the neigbouring states

not to feel threatened by Nigeria's size, population and natural endowments, saying "we shall never impose ourselves upon any other country and shall treat every African territory, big or small, as our equal because we honestly feel that it is only on that basis of equality that peace can be maintained in our continent."

This foreign policy decision was taken as Nigeria did not only because her African neigbouring states would feel threatened, but also for them not to fall into the embrace of any of the great power rivalries. In all, this has informed the Nigeria good neigbourliness foreign policy choices and actions towards the African countries.

Therefore, with a relatively large size population comprising of diversity groups, Nigeria has enormous human, potentials for rapid economic and social development. Nigeria has and still assisting some African countries by providing them well-trained manpower through technical aid programme. Moreover, the country has the largest and most formidable army in Black Africa Nigeria army has maintained enviable reputation for her diligent services in peace-keeping operations not only in Africa, but in other parts of the world as pointed out earlier. Thus, the relatively large size of the population of the country coupled with her diversity and considerable human potential all have great impact on her foreign policy (Njoku and Nwafor, 2005).

SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE

How would you assess the impact of demography factors in Nigeria's foreign policy?