ABSTRACT
The foreign policy behaviour of a state is a function of the underlying principles of the national interest. However, the approach towards achieving the aims and objectives of the national interest is conditioned by variables within, and external to the state. While the internal determinants can be shaped by the authorities, there is limited influence by any state to determine the external variables of the foreign policy arena. Like all other states, the approach to Nigeria’s foreign policy has always been guided by conditions in the two environments. For the Buhari regime, the character of the domestic environment is the driving force of the foreign policy pursuits. This paper therefore undertakes an assessment of the domestic environment against the purpose of Nigeria’s foreign policy under President Buhari. In addition, the paper highlights the need for the Buhari administration to play a visible leadership role in Africa in order to keep alive, Nigeria’s silent aspiration of achieving the status of Africa’s hegemon.
For analytical convenience, the paper is divided into seven parts, com- mencing with the introduction before a framework that highlights the im- portance of both the internal and external environments for the purposes of foreign policy initiation and articulation. The remaining analyses dwell on establishing the linkages between the dominant issues in the domestic environment and the Buhari administration’s foreign policy agenda.