Nigeria-European Union (EU) Relations: Strengthening Economic, Political, Security and Diplomatic Cooperation with Brexit’s Departure

The paper examines the relationship between Nigeria and the European Union which has existed over six decades despite British’s exit from the European union platform. It is to interrogate the economic, political, social, Security and diplomatic perspectives of the relationship. Nigeria has benefited immensely from the age long cooperation and partnership from the European Union which has brought growth, development to the Nigerian State, its People, its institution, and across Africa at large, while the European Union has paved it way for Nigerian’s foreign policy and national interest to manifest in members’ states conducts which have genuine and robust partnership on interdependence levels from both sides. This paper points to investigate the dimension of cooperation and regional economic organization in areas of strategic partnership agreement on bilateral and multilateral engagements for greater collaboration and integration like economic development, joint commission, foreign direct investment, trade security guarantee, educational scholarships, while contending issues such as drug and human trafficking from Nigerian to Europe diaspora matters, refuges, crisis from Africa/Nigeria to Europe, Corruption as some Nigerians looted money and saved them in European banks, reparation case , Climate change, human rights abuses on the part of the Nigerian government, and the crisis of the developed and the undeveloped axis on unequal exchange of goods and services and continuous support for sit tight administrations in Nigeria and in Africa which all remain unsolved. The paper seeks to proffer policy options mechanisms to strengthen Nigeria and the European Union relations through consolidation of democratic principles poverty reduction, achieving sustainable institutional reforms, tackle terrorism/kidnapping, social and economic development, leaderships skill in good governance, more investment drive and quality service delivery. The paper makes use of secondary method to collect data for analysis, while it adopts theory of interdependence and sustainable to midwife the study.

Keywords: Cooperation, Diplomacy, Economic Interdependence, European Union, Integration, National Interest, Nigeria, Regional Economic Organization, Strategic Partnership.