DOMESTIC STRUCTURE AND CONDUCT OF NIGERIA'S FOREIGN POLICY: A CASE STUDY OF BUHARI"S REGIME, 2015-2023.

ABSTRACT This study explores the Domestic structure and conducts of Nigeria’s foreign policy during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration from 2015 to 2023, with specific focus on the Boko Haram insurgency and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW). The main objective was to analyze how domestic political, economic, and security factors influenced the formulation, implementation, and international implications of Nigeria’s foreign policy. Specifically, the study analyzed how the domestic structures in Nigeria influenced the formulation of foreign policy during president Buhari’s regime; examined how the domestic factors in Nigeria shaped foreign policy implementation under Buhari’s regime; analyzed the impact of foreign policy under Buhari’s regime on Nigeria’s international standing between 2015 and 2023. The study also employed an ex-post facto research design using constructivism as its theoretical framework. Data were obtained through documentary analysis of official reports, policy speeches, institutional records, international indices and verified media sources. Thematic content analysis was applied to interpret patterns across the identified variables. Findings revealed that executive dominance and institutional constraints shaped foreign policy priorities, especially around counterterrorism initiatives like the MNJTF. Economic diplomacy emerged in response to oil dependency and recession, exemplified by a $6 billion infrastructure deal with China. However, bureaucratic inefficiencies and a 65% budget execution rate in 2019 hindered effective implementation. Regionally, Nigeria led ECOWAS peace and security frameworks, but global engagement was limited by human rights concerns, despite improvements in governance metrics and anticorruption efforts. The study concludes that domestic structures political, economic, and institutional significantly shaped Nigeria’s foreign policy orientation under Buhari, though their impact on global standing was mixed. It recommends strengthening legislative oversight and institutional capacity to foster balanced and effective foreign policy outcomes. Keywords: Foreign policy, Boko Haram, Small Arms Proliferation, Constructivism, ECOWAS.