NIGERIAN FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MOHAMMED-OBASANJO ERA, 1975-1979

This study critically examines the evolution and conduct of Nigeria’s foreign policy during the regimes of General Murtala Mohammed (1975–1976) and General Olusegun Obasanjo (1976–1979). The research investigates how both military governments redefined Nigeria’s international engagement by shifting from a cautious, reactive foreign policy to one that was bold, activist, and Pan-African in orientation. It analyses Nigeria's diplomatic posture toward liberation movements in Southern Africa—particularly in Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and apartheid South Africa—and its leadership role in regional initiatives such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The study adopts a qualitative historical method, drawing from primary and secondary sources including archival materials, published academic works, and relevant government speeches. Findings reveal that the Mohammed–Obasanjo era marked a significant reawakening of Nigeria’s foreign policy, rooted in anti-colonial solidarity, Afrocentric identity, and a desire to exert leadership on the African continent. While General Mohammed laid the ideological foundation with his radical pronouncements and early diplomatic recognitions, General Obasanjo institutionalized those principles through pragmatic diplomacy, international cooperation, and multilateral engagement. The study concludes that this period was a transformative chapter in Nigeria’s foreign relations, one which not only elevated the country’s continental standing but also shaped the moral and political tone of Nigeria’s external engagements in subsequent decades.