The Military And Nigeria’s Foreign Policy
[A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE MURTALA AND OBASANJO REGIME]

1.2 Objective of Study 

• To assess the internal factors that affect Nigeria’s foreign policy.

• To examine the principles of globalisation and how it affects the country 

• To examine the different government response to position the country in the world by formulating policies to take advantage of globalisation and the challenges facing them. 

• To examine how the forces of globalisation has restrained Nigeria's foreign policy and economy? 

• To examine the influence of Domestic politics on Nigeria’s foreign policy under Murtala/Obasanjo’s militarys administration.

• To proffer solutions on how to improve on Nigeria’s foreign policy.

1.3 Significance of Study 

The study reviews Nigeria’s military rule in 1975-1979 and how it led to improved country image abroad and allowed the country to take more active and productive roles regionally and on the global stage, Murtala/Obasanjo however has travelled to many parts of the world to restore Nigeria's poor economic implementation led to the breakdown of relations. However this study will contribute to the growing body of knowledge in globalisation and its linkage with foreign policy and will therefore aid researchers who might want to carry out research in related areas.

1.4 Scope and Limitation 

The study examines the linkage between foreign policy and globalisation under the Murtala/Obasanjo regime in the period of (1975-1979). It is also limited in part to the information available from books, journals, books and internet resources. It shall be within the frame work of the economic policies with the international community.

1.5 Research Methodology 

For the development of this work and its relevance or contribution to existing works, Articles, text books were consulted. Data which contributes to the development of this research was also gathered. 

This research work will make use of historical research method. Hence, findings from secondary sources are sourced; the secondary sources include written documents such as government publications, documentaries and newspapers. Added to these are descriptive accounts of experts on the impact of globalization and domestic politics on Nigeria’s foreign policy. Desk study will also be made with those considered authorities in the field of history, political science and international relations to complement the other sources. Furthermore, this research work depends largely on archival materials both online and offline. Official publications cited on the websites will also be used. Books, journal articles, conference proceedings, seminar papers and finally other related publications will be used in gathering secondary information for this research. 

1.6 Literature Review 

For the purpose of this research we shall make use of the principle of dependency theory which appeared in the 1950s as a critical reaction to the conventional approaches to economic development that emerged in the aftermath of World War II. According to Dos Santos, 2002, there are two dependency theory traditions. The first is the Marxist influenced by Paul Baran and Paul Sweezy, and developed by André Gunder Frank with important ramifications in the works of Samir Amin, Theotônio dos Santos, Arghiri Emmanuel, and Aníbal Quijano. The second dependency tradition is associated to the Structuralist school that builds on the work of Raúl Prebisch, Celso Furtado and Aníbal Pinto at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The dependence theory believes that developing countries depend on the developed countries for support. The poorer countries are underprivileged. The dependence theory shall be utilized in analyzing Nigeria and its developmental policies in the face of a globalizing world. 

Both groups would agree that at the core of the dependency relation between center and periphery lays the inability of the periphery to develop an autonomous and dynamic process of technological innovation. The lack of technological dynamism, and the difficulties associated with the transfer of technological knowledge are the main cause of the underdevelopment of the periphery with respect to the center. The main contention between the two groups was ultimately related to the possibilities of economic development in the periphery. 

The existing wide disparities between the developed and the underdeveloped economies make globalization a tool for dampening the industrialization process, and by extension, retarding the growth and development of underdeveloped economies. Trade liberalization, the cardinal instrument of globalization ensures that industrialized countries have access to world markets, which enhances further industrialization of industrialized countries while incapacitating the industrialization process of the underdeveloped economies. (Omotere, 2010).