THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN NIGERIAN FOREIGN POLICY (NFP): MYTH OR REALITY?

Abstract

All through history, Nigerian foreign policy has gone through plethora of contours. It began with the colonial political and economic policy interest to the era of conservatism shortly after independence which was followed by radical and moderate policies in the 1970s and 1980s, then to total pariahness in the 1990s and finally to liberalized foreign policy. This undulating nature of the country’s external policy is occasioned by the fact that the making and enforcement of foreign policy has become the exclusive preserve of the president who himself and his ministers on foreign affairs have no diplomatic experience or background on external relations. This is further accentuated by the failure of the constitution to grant any direct foreign policy role to the national assembly. The study which is based on desk research seeks to find answer to one question; what is the role of the National Assembly in the making, implementation and direction of Nigerian external relations? It finds that the assembly is only empowered by law to approve any form treaties that the country intended to be a part of. It thus recommended the review of the country’s law that will ensure that the assembly continues to act as watchdog of the executive on matters relating to foreign relations.