Competition of global powers on the Africa in the context of postcolonial theory: The case of Nigeria

As in the past, the African continent attracts the attention of global powers with its underground resources and population potential. After the colonial period, the continental countries gained their independence, but this independence could not go beyond the transfer of political administrations. The great powers in international politics continue to exploit the resources of the continental countries today. The colonial system in the past is continued today with neo-colonial tools such as financial institutions, international organizations, aid and investments, and trade partnerships based on dependency. In addition, global powers compete over continental resources such as oil, natural gas, precious metals, uranium ... etc. The competition is an obstacle to the development of continental countries. The policies of global powers to strengthen their influence on African countries cause instability in continental countries. In addition, the policies of global powers aiming to strengthen their influence by making the continental countries dependent on them hinder the development of African countries. Nigeria is a West African country that is the target of global powers with its resources. Nigeria, which is rich in oil reserves, natural gas resources, precious metals and minerals and has a good potential with its large population, is one of the largest economies in the African continent. Despite all these riches, the low level of welfare of the people, the high level of unemployment, the frequent occurrence of terrorist incidents and security problems show that the resources of the country are exploited. The aim of this study is to examine the relations of global powers with the countries of the African continent in the context of postcolonial theory. These relations have been tried to be explained with the concept of neo-colonialism. In this context, firstly, postcolonial theory was discussed and the concept of neo-colonialism was emphasized. Then, the country profile of Nigeria, which was chosen as an example to explain these relations, was examined. Finally, the policies of the powers such as the United States, Russia, China, England and France towards the African Continent and their relations with Nigeria have been discussed and these relations have been tried to be explained with the concept of neo-colonialism. Key Words: Africa, Postcolonialism, Neo-colonialism, Competition, Addiction