Abstract
Nigeria has become one of the fastest-growing countries in Africa, surpassing South Africa in both population and gross domestic product (GDP). Unfortunately, much of its economic growth has been dangerously dependent on high oil prices and the economy has suffered as oil prices have dropped globally. Furthermore, poverty in Nigeria remains a huge issue and income inequality has skyrocketed. Another challenge that Nigeria faces is the recent rise in terrorism within the country via groups such as Boko Haram. This chapter offers a case study of a dominant think tank in Nigeria, the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), and examines the kind of work it does in the country.
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Notes
- 1.
According to projections by the United Nations, Nigeria will become the world’s fastest-growing country and by 2100 its population will have reached nearly 1 billion people, which will make it the third-largest population after India and China.
- 2.
“A Powder Keg”, The Economist, April 1, 2015 http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/04/nigerias-election.
- 3.
- 4.
Ibid.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
Ibid.
- 8.
Ibid.
- 9.
Ibid.
- 10.
Seitlheko, Likeleli “Nigeria’s President-Elect and Domestic Oil Policy: Challenges and Opportunities”, April 13, 2015, Forbes, http://www.forbes.com/sites/thebakersinstitute/2015/04/13/nigerias-president-elect-and-domestic-oil-policy-challenges-and-opportunities/.
The growing oil and liquids production from US shale plays has been progressively replacing imports of crude oil, particularly the light sweet grade. The decreasing trend in US imports is affecting especially African oil producers. The region accounted for almost two-thirds of the light sweet crude imported into the United States from 2009 to 2013.
- 11.
The World Bank, “Nigeria Overview,” Nigeria, September 30, 2015, http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/nigeria.
- 12.
Ibid.
- 13.
Ibid.
- 14.
“Africa by Numbers: A Focus on Nigeria”, Ernst & Young, 2014, p. 2a.
- 15.
Ibid.
- 16.
Ibid.
- 17.
Ibid.
- 18.
Since independence, Nigeria’s foreign policy towards its neighbors has been guided by four principles: (a) the sovereignty of all African states; (b) respect for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of every African state; (c) non-interference in the internal affairs of other African states; and (d) commitment to functional cooperation as a means of promoting African unity.
- 19.
Until the 1990s, Nigeria’s foreign policy towards the continent was guided by the same four principles which feature in its relations with the region, plus an additional one (motivated by the persistence of colonialism): namely, the total eradication of racialism and colonialism from the continent.
- 20.
Ashaver, Benjamin Teryima “Concentricism in Nigeria’s Foreign Policy”, Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, June 2014, Vol. 9, Issue 6, p. 3.
- 21.
The watershed event which underlined the potential leadership of Nigeria was the Liberian crisis (1990–1997), which degenerated into civil war and dramatic violations of human rights.
- 22.
Baker, Aryn “Here Are 4 Challenges Nigeria’s New Leader Must Overcome”, April 7, 2015 Time, http://time.com/3774076/nigeria-muhammadu-buhari-challenge/.
- 23.
Ibid.
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McGann, J.G. (2019). Nigeria: An Overview. In: McGann, J.G. (eds) Think Tanks, Foreign Policy and the Emerging Powers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60312-4_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60312-4_5
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