ISSUES IN NIGERIAN FOREIGN POLICY UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI (2015-2022)

This study examines the issues in Nigerian foreign policy under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2022. Foreign policy, defined as the framework through which sovereign states direct their diplomatic interactions with other nations, has been central to Nigeria's post-independence identity, historically anchored on Afrocentric principles and the projection of Africa as the centerpiece of its external relations. However, successive administrations have grappled with reconciling ambitious foreign policy objectives with persistent domestic constraints. The study adopts a qualitative descriptive methodology, utilizing secondary sources including journal articles, textbooks, newspaper publications, and online resources, supplemented by primary data from oral interviews. Through a chronological and thematic analysis, the research evaluates the nine-point foreign policy agenda of the Buhari administration, which prioritized regional security cooperation, economic diplomacy, anti-corruption, energy resource management, humanitarian diplomacy, cultural promotion, technological innovation, and climate change engagement. The findings reveal that while the Buhari administration undertook extensive diplomatic engagements to launder Nigeria's international image and attract foreign direct investment, the country's foreign policy was significantly undermined by domestic challenges. These included political instability, ethnic and religious divisions, economic recession and oil price volatility, infrastructural deficits, pervasive corruption, youth unemployment, and the protracted Boko Haram insurgency. Internationally, Nigeria faced complex regional power dynamics, border disputes, resource competition, diaspora protection challenges, and the demands of multilateral diplomacy. Security threats such as terrorism, transnational crime, maritime piracy, and cyber warfare further strained diplomatic resources and national capacity. The study concludes that Nigeria's foreign policy during this period was characterized by a tension between aspirational global leadership and debilitating domestic realities. Despite prospects in economic diversification, regional leadership, emerging partnerships, and soft power projection through culture and the diaspora, the administration's foreign policy achievements were constrained by the failure to decisively address foundational governance and developmental issues. The research recommends comprehensive economic reforms, strengthened internal security, institutionalized anti-corruption measures, investment in human and technological capital, and strategic cultural diplomacy as essential pathways toward achieving a more credible and effective foreign policy posture for Nigeria in the contemporary international system.