Delivering United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria: Imperatives for Robust Foreign Policy Posturing

Abstract

Nigeria’s fragile social fabric resulting from a weak economy as well as her unstable domestic and international politics continues to accelerate the worsening global conditions. Thus, whether the concern is about poverty, inequality or even depleting energy and natural disasters, it is observed that the populations in developing nations have become most vulnerable as a result of low capital accumulation and rudimentary technological attainment. As a corollary, therefore, the United Nations in its wisdom articulated 17 critical global goals also referred to as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at improving the general wellbeing of citizens of member states. While providing strategies for their attainment, the global body had charged member-states to take ownership and establish frameworks for delivering these goals. The outcome of this initiative for states, no doubt will be determined by how robust they are able to play at the international arena. This study examined how Nigerian foreign policy could be used as an instrument to actualize the Sustainable Development Goals for Nigerians. A qualitative research which derived its study data from secondary source, complex interdependence theory was adopted as the theoretical standpoint to argue that interdependence of states and international cooperation provides the surest plank to human security and national development. The study concludes that dynamic foreign policy posturing laced with capacity to project national strength globally will offer the most predictable route to Nigeria’s sustainable development aspiration. The study recommends among others that Nigeria unequivocally align with the liberal perspective on globalization while transparently engaging donor nations and other key agencies of global governance who have become major players of the SDGs initiative.