The paper looks at the foreign policy of Nigeria after the rise of Boko Haram in Nigeria. The Nigerian government has been seeking to establish ties with its immediate neighbors, Cameroon, the Republic of Niger, Benin and Chad, over the past few years. Since its independence, Nigeria has been pursuing a foreign policy which puts Africa at the center, particularly its West African neighbors. Africa, which was still stressed long before independence, as the center of Nigerian foreign policy, was also the main emphasis of Nigeria’s activities on matters concerning the African continent in general and West Africa in particular. However, there is an increasing and evolving foreign policy thrust of Nigeria towards Africa in recent period that negates the Afrocentric essence of Nigerian foreign policy. This study seeks to examine how Nigeria has been relating with its immediate neighbors since the emergence of Boko Haram terrorist group. The research is important in recognizing and interrogating whether Africa still claims Nigeria's first attention. Resting on the qualitative analysis approach, the study concludes that the rise of Boko Haram terrorism influenced the Afro-centered aspect of Nigeria's foreign policy, and Nigeria started conducting foreign policy towards its contiguous neighbors that rejected the idea of Africa as the cornerstone of Nigeria's foreign policy.

Keywords: foreign policy, book haram terrorism, big brother policy, Nigeria, linkage politics