Nigeria’s foreign policy of non-alignment was a response to the Cold War rivalry between the Western bloc (led by the United States and its NATO allies) and the Eastern bloc (led by the Soviet Union). This ideological competition between capitalism and communism influenced global politics, as many newly independent nations were pressured to align with either side.

Nigeria, like many other African countries, chose non-alignment to maintain sovereignty in its foreign relations, avoid becoming a pawn in superpower conflicts, and focus on national development and African unity.