The objective of the project is to assess the extent to which political advocacy is considered an integral part of journalism’s mission and discourse across different countries by examining the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The study adopts the concept of political parallelism to explain how the media’s relationship with sources of power, primarily the government, determines political discourse and ideological orientations of news coverage. To determine the press’ relationship with sources of power in Nigeria, this report offers an assessment of the international relations between the US and Nigeria by considering the political, economic, military and diplomatic dimensions over time. Using the four-point scale proposed by Hamada (2025), the report concludes with an identification of the dominant type of relationship that exists between both countries.
The Nigeria-US relationship can primarily be defined as an economic one interspersed with political, humanitarian and military collaboration and assistance on security issues. Even before Nigeria gained political independence from Britain in 1960, the U.S. had demonstrated interest in the country’s economic development by providing assistance through Britain (Africa, 1960). The U.S. continued to provide economic and military assistance with loans and grants that came to an abrupt halt in 1966 when a military coup disrupted political processes and terminated the country’s first republic. A counter-coup six months later, combined with a build-up of tensions in the northern region of the country triggered a 30-month civil war when the eastern region seceded from the federation. Influenced by Britain’s posture toward the war, the U.S. intervened in favour of Nigeria rather than the secessionists and from 1967-1970, attempted to maintain a neutral stance by withholding military support opting instead to provide humanitarian aid to the secessionists (Nwachuku, 1998). After the war ended, the U.S. continued its support for Nigeria by providing aid towards the country’s post war reconstruction. In 1980s, Nigeria became the second-largest supplier of crude oil to the U.S. incurring a trade deficit for the U.S. and putting an end to its dependence on aid for its economic survival transforming the relationship between both countries. The oil revenues for Nigeria increased trade with the United States which was worth $1.65 billion (Ayam, 2008).
Since the US had historically positioned itself as the promoter of democratic governance and human rights globally, it was averse to the Nigeria’s military intervention in Nigerian politics (Obiozor, 1992; Gebe, 2010). Thus, in 1979 when Nigeria returned to civilian rule, the political system was modelled after the American federal system, discarding the Westminster model imposed on the country by the colonial administration on the assumption that “a powerful president could forge the ‘unity in diversity’ that the British parliamentary system had failed to achieve” (Badru, 1998, 144). The presidential system was also expected to anchor the principles of separation of power and checks and balances and to accommodate the ethnically fragmented society of Nigeria (Olayinka, 2018). And when Nigeria once again returned to military rule in the 1990s, the U.S. imposed sanctions and reduced diplomatic engagements in response to human rights abuses and suppression of democratic institutions. Nigeria’s transition to democratic rule in 1999 engendered renewed cooperation and support between both countries (Ayam, 2008; Dike and Onyebukwa, 2024; Medu, 2024).
In the wake of the US war on terrorism, the Nigeria-U.S. economic relationship evolved to a strategic partnership and strong collaboration on security issues, including counterterrorism efforts, and intelligence sharing against extremist groups like Boko Haram (Nigeria, 2020). The U.S. has provided support through training and military assistance to enhance Nigeria’s capacity to combat terrorism ultimately serving America’s interest from and economic perspective (Gebe, 2010). For instance, in 2017, the U.S. approved a $593 million sale of 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to Nigeria to bolster counter-terrorism efforts (Insinna, 2017, p. 10). Less than two years after the Tucano aircraft were handed over to the Nigerian government, the U.S. invested $38 million for the construction of new facilities to house the jets (Nigerian Air Force, 2023). In 2023, the U.S. approved $1 billion weapons sale to Nigeria to bolster its military capacity (Reuters, 2022). These transactions continue to happen despite the Nigerian government’s use of excessive force particularly against unarmed civilians suggesting that the US seems to be more interested in the economic relationship between both countries and its security more than anything else.
The economic relationship between both countries extends itself beyond securitisation to trade. In 2024, the total goods trade between the U.S. and Nigeria amounted to $9.9 billion with the U.S exporting goods to Nigeria worth over $4.2 billion, while imports to Nigeria from the U.S. were over $5.7 billion (Nigeria, no date). Both countries established a Trade Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), to facilitate dialogue that can enhance trade and investment opportunities (Nigeria, 2023). Additionally, the relationship between both countries is also characterised by humanitarian aid from the U.S. targeted towards regular health and disaster response. In 2023, the U.S invested over $600 million in health assistance through the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Arise News, 2024).
To sum up, the Nigeria-U.S. relationship has evolved through various phases, influencing historical events, ranging from ideological alignments, political collaborations to economic interests. The partnership is significant for both nations, reflecting mutual interests and shared goals. Thus, the relationship between both countries is scaled at Cooperative (2). The relationship between Nigeria and the U.S. is cooperative because they have developed a bilateral relationship based on economic and security alliances which has continued to evolve as Nigeria continues to develop.
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