NATIONAL INTEREST AND NIGERIA’S PARTICIPATION IN PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS: AN ASSESSMENT

Abstract

This study is about Nigeria’s national interest and its participation in Peacekeeping Operations
(PKO). Nigeria has been and will continue to be an active contributor to global peace and security.
Since the attainment of her independence in 1960, she has participated in over thirty United
Nations (UN) summits, Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU)
proceedings and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) PKO meetings.
The country has made enormous contributions in terms of human and financial sacrifices. The
question of national interest arises as a result of all these contributions that have been made since
Nigeria is yet to reap the dividend of these sacrifices. The paper makes a comparative study of
Nigeria and Bangladesh to determine their national interest as they strive to contribute actively to
global peace and security. The study confirms that there are similarities in some of the gains they
have made from their contributions to international and regional peace support operations (PSO).
Bangladesh, however, has been more focused in reaping the dividends of its contributions. An assessment
of Nigeria’s national interest in relation to its enormous contributions to the UN, AU
and ECOWAS PSO confirm that she is yet to fully benefit from its sacrifices. It is imperative,
therefore, that Nigeria evolve a policy document that will guide subsequent participation in any
global peace and security ventures either internationally or in the region.