Nigerian Foreign Policy and Diversionary Mechanism Under Major General Sani Abacha

Abstract

Foreign policy is a tripod of external relations. State formulates foreign policy to reward as well as to punish states within the global system. Nigerian foreign policy under General Sani Abacha entered into another milestone hitherto unknown in the foreign policy terrain of Nigeria. The manner with which General Abacha mishandled the delicate domestic political structure pitied the regime against the western states who regarded the regime as authoritarian and unconstitutional. Nigeria was subsequently castigated at international level as a pariah state and such political appellation resulted in series of economic and diplomatic sanctions against the regime. General Abacha regime was not only sanctioned at international level but also at domestic level. Various civil societies sprang up to launch assault and campaign against the high-handedness of Abacha regime. Thus, in order to survive within the global political system, Abacha evolve a diversionary mechanism to ensure his regime survived the political
ravages of the time. This article thus examines the diversionary mechanism as formulated by General Abacha to render the domestic and international castigation impotent. The effectiveness of such policy and whom the policy was directed at are the focus of the article.