United Nations Peacekeeping and the Question of Sovereignty: Nigeria’s Perspective

This study examines Nigeria's engagement with United Nations peacekeeping operations and the tensions between peacekeeping mandates and state sovereignty principles from Nigeria's independence in 1960 to the present. Nigeria has been among the most consistent troop-contributing countries to UN missions globally, yet its diplomatic positions have frequently reflected the tension between humanitarian intervention norms and sovereignty protection, particularly with respect to African states. Using a descriptive analytical design, the study reviews UN Security Council voting records, Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs position papers, and troop contribution data from the UN Department of Peace Operations, supplemented by secondary literature published between 2020 and 2024. The Realist Theory of International Relations and the Sovereignty Theory of International Order provide the analytical lenses. Findings indicate that Nigeria has generally supported peacekeeping mandates in principle while opposing interventions perceived as threats to state sovereignty, reflecting its own experience as a target of international pressure during the Biafra War. The Responsibility to Protect doctrine, adopted by the UN in 2005, has generated particular ambivalence in Nigeria's diplomatic positions, given concerns about selective application favouring Western-defined security interests. Keywords: UN peacekeeping, sovereignty, Nigeria, Responsibility to Protect, troop contribution.