Abstract:
The reforms at home and aspiration to or actual leadership of the continent are two factors that shape the current phase of Nigeria-South Africa political and diplomatic relations. The character of Nigeria-South Africa relations changed with the commencement of multiracial democracy based on universal adult suffrage in South Africa and the return to civilian rule in Nigeria. Consequently, the moralistic-idealistic fight against racism and military rule which tended to guide Nigeria’s relations with South Africa during the apartheid regimes in South Africa, and military rules in Nigeria have been relegated and there is now an increasing harmony of interest conditioned by political, economic, and social forces. However, consolidating the new democracies require a certain demonstration of commitment to the values that drive it not only at the level of internal politics of the transitional states and their bilateral relations but also in their multilateral diplomacy. In that regard, multilateral framework and institutions such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the African Union (AU), and the United Nations Organization (UNO) offer platforms for the transitional states in Africa to demonstrate this commitment. It is the context presented by these institutions that Nigeria and South Africa explore at any given conjuncture in their competition and cooperation for the advancement of their national interests. Thus, the promotion of common interest in multilateral context creates need for cooperation on one hand, while the drive to offer continental leadership on the other hand create competitive relations between Nigeria and South Africa. Premised on these assertions therefore, this study set out to investigate the dynamics of national interest on the contemporary phase of Nigeria-South Africa relations. As an analytical tool, the study employs the Political Economy approach which highlights the primacy of material condition. Hence, the study further interrogates the link between economic factor and ethnic conflicts in Nigeria and South Africa. Based on this, we discover that competition for scarce resources is a common factor in Nigeria and South Africa. In both countries, ethnic communities violently compete for properties, jobs, education, healthcare facilities, and right. It therefore follows that Nigeria and South Africa are experiencing distributional conflicts. Though the South African economy is not very healthy; they still have a highly developed financial system, fairly efficient telecommunication infrastructure, power supply, good road network and a system of public administration, which is afflicted by patronage and corruption but still delivers to the population. In Nigeria, majority of the population are yet to feel the impact of the oil revenue because of corruption, discrimination, and economic mismanagement. Additionally, ethnicity, lack of good road network, unstable power and water supply overshadows life in the Africa’s most populous country. We have no claim that much of the material in this work represents new or original thinking on our part .The material was developed from various sources and well-known authorities on the subject. While preparing the work, references were taken from well-known literatures, books, journals, and websites as our secondary sources of information.
