Nigeria and independent Namibia: an outlook of their emerging relations

The relations emerging between Nigeria and independent Namibia are seen as a merger of the national perspectives of the two countries against a pan-African setting. Pan-Africanism provided the general background against which Nigeria supported the independence struggle of Namibians. Within this general setting, Nigeria also exercised its foreign policy beliefs, notably that its size and potentials endow it with both the opportunity and the responsibility to play a leading role in Africa. Namibia’s accession to independence transformed the relationship between the two countries from one essentially between the Namibian people and the Nigerian government and people to one between two African States. This brought with it a shift in priority from liberation to forging strong inter-State relations. For Namibia, this entails consolidating its independence and correcting the internal imbalance created by racism and colonialism. For Nigeria, it entails continuous assistance of Namibia in various ways to accomplish its tasks, while at the same time satisfying a national predilection for leadership and influence in Africa. Without some significant change in the existing national perspectives of one or both countries, the emerging relationship between Namibia and Nigeria will remain typically inter-African, characterized by a high political and cultural profile and comparatively little economic content. Notes, ref.