International records / OpenAlex research

Nigeria, South Africa and the US Connection: Myth and the Western-Proclaimed ‘Giant of Africa’

Severe strains in Nigeria’s relations with the United States occurred during the first year (1976) of the Mohammed-Obasanjo regime. The central issue was Angola. Nigeria’s perception of the Angolan conflict was fundamentally opposed to that of the United States. Hence, the action which Nigeria took to help effect a settlement ran counter to actions taken by the United States. Although open support for the MPLA would have been the most progressive move, Nigeria’s initial position was to encourage the three Angolan groups — the MPLA, FNLA and UNITA — to seek some form of mutual accommodation: to…