This was a popular question and the candidates performed very well in it. They were able to articulate the factors affecting Nigeria’s foreign  policy properly. However, the performance of some of the candidates was lowered by their inability to properly elaborate their points in a more comprehensive way; they only listed the points. Candidates were expected to explain the following points more succinctly in order to score high marks:

(i)         History            -           Nigeria has a strong link with Britain and some western
European powers due to her colonial experience.
(ii)        Geography      -           The location of Nigeria in West Africa and Africa determines
her relationship with other countries.
(iii)       Population       -           Nigeria is a diverse country with large population and
this determines her foreign policy.
(iv)       National Interest-        Security of lives, territorial integrity and socio-economic
developments as part of Nigeria national interest influence her foreign policy.
(v)        Natural resources-       Nigeria has one of the largest concentration of natural
resources in the world.  This greatly influences her foreign policy.
(vi)       Public opinion  -          The general views of the Nigerian people are often
considered in her foreign policy objectives.