Abstract
This chapter examines the undercurrents of Nigeria’s long and close relationship with the United States of America (US). The chapter is qualitative and analytical in approach, with data sourced data largely from secondary sources including reputable journals, books, book chapters, monographs and records, and analysed thematically. Broad themes examined in sections include Theoretical Perspectives on Nigeria-US Relations, Overview of Nigeria-US Relations Since 1960, Nigeria-US Trade and Investment Relations, Democracy and Security as Strategic Interests in Nigeria-US Relations, Cracks on the Wall of Nigeria-US Relations, The Future of Nigeria-US Relations, and Conclusion. It revealed that Nigeria and the US have been strategic partners in sub-Saharan Africa since Nigeria’s attainment of independence. While the US is a world power and has enormous influence on the pace of economic and political trends in the world, Nigeria’s regional influence in Africa, particularly at a time when South Africa was being ravaged by Apartheid, situated it for political and economic leadership on the continent. It, therefore, became imperative for the two nations to cooperate even if only for their national interests. But even where the countries have been known to maintain generally cordial relationship over the years, it has not been a bed of roses either. Many times, the relationship has run into troubled waters on the political, diplomatic or economic front. The US has been a strong ally of Nigeria in spite of the latter’s chequered political developments dominated by intermittent military interregnums.
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Maduagwu, M.O., Oleh, C.O. (2023). The Dynamics and Strategic Interests in Nigeria-US Relations. In: Tar, U.A., Wapmuk, S. (eds) Nigerian Foreign Policy 60 Years After Independence. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06882-9_6
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