'"To find the flow of life, push against the current:' Canada's Engagements with Nigeria, 1960-70"

Abstract

The 1960 was a momentous year for Nigeria as it made a transition from British to self rule. But this change in status posed serious difficulties: because of her size, economic potential and the possibility of playing a leading role in African affairs, she was vulnerable to being influenced by the Soviet Union and its communist ideology. For the West, it would be a huge embarrassment if Nigeria, and indeed, Tropical Africa, fell into communist hands. As a committed member of the Western ‘Free World’ alliance, Canada saw in the Cold War rivalry an opportunity to engage pragmatically with Nigeria to ward off communist interests. Aid was a principal tool used to achieve this objective. Engagements with Nigeria, however, simultaneously created opportunities for Ottawa to advance its foreign policy goals of promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law as well as trade.