Nigeria’s Roles in Africa Under Military Rule, September 1985–May 1999

This chapter investigates the foreign policies of various military regimes in Nigeria from September 1985 to May 1999. These were Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha and Abdusalam Abubakar’s regimes. There was an interim government between Babangida and Abacha’s administrations. It was a diarchy with the head of the government, a civilian working with both fellow civilians and military rulers. Nigeria’s roles in Africa seemed like that of the past, but some critical internal factors changed the foreign policy behavior and international stature of Nigeria overall, which showed diminishing returns that rubbed off on its hegemony in Africa. The consequences were dire as Nigeria could not recover completely and remained a crippled giant.