Muktar Usman Muktari-Janguza (JanguzaArewa)

Prime Minister Modi’s first year in office has witnessed a remarkable reinvigoration of India’s foreign policy, with several bold initiatives taking observers by surprise. What can President Buhari learn from Prime Minister Modi's diplomatic outreach in his first year as he draws up his own foreign policy agenda? President Muhammadu Buhari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on their respective Inauguration Day s Prime Minister Modi completed his first term on May 26, three days before President Buhari’s inauguration on May 29. While on the domestic front his one year in office is generally said to have achieved mixed results , his bold forays on the international front however “ surprised just about everyone ” and has been widely praised. He has reoriented India’s foreign policy, reinvigorated its regional diplomacy, and revitalised key partnerships – notably the Indo-US and Sino-Indian relationships.  Let’s take a look at one of Prime Minister Modi’s key diplomatic in...

Opportunities and Limits of a Nigeria-Russia Rapprochement President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Vladimir Putin signing the “Declaration on the Principles of Friendly Relations and Partnership” between Nigeria and Russia, March 6 2001 ( Kremlin.ru ) 20 May 1974, General Yakubu Gowon departed Lagos for an 8-day State visit to the Soviet Union. The first ever such visit by a Nigerian Head of State. It was a symbolic gesture of gratitude to the Soviet Union for helping the Federal Government win the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970). It was also meant to open a new chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries. A state of “high alert” [1] and ideological suspicion had characterised the relationship before the Civil War [2] . There were high hopes at the time that, guided by pragmatism and mutual interests, cooperation would now deepen. Despite this optimism however, bilateral ties never moved beyond what Maxim Matusevich, a scholar on Nigeria-Russia relation...