Nigeria’s withdrawal from the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games in July 1986 was in protest against British

Analyze the question: The question asks why Nigeria boycotted the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland. It wants the British action or policy that Nigeria was protesting.

Concept (background): In the 1980s, Nigeria's foreign policy centred on Africa, with the fight against apartheid in South Africa as a top priority. Nigeria used the Commonwealth as a platform to push for economic sanctions against the apartheid regime.

Britain, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, strongly opposed comprehensive sanctions on South Africa. She argued that sanctions would hurt Black South Africans and damage British economic interests. At the 1985 Nassau Commonwealth summit and again in 1986, Britain resisted tougher measures.

Step-by-step solution:

1. Option A (arms to Rhodesia): Rhodesia's issue was settled with Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, so this is not relevant to 1986.
2. Option B (failure to impose sanctions on South Africa): This matches the history. In July 1986, Nigeria led a boycott of the Edinburgh Games, joined by over 30 countries, mostly African, Asian and Caribbean. They were protesting Britain's refusal to apply sanctions against apartheid South Africa.
3. Option C (negative utterances on Nigeria): There is no record of this being the reason.
4. Option D (support for UNITA in Angola): UNITA was backed mainly by South Africa and the US, not Britain, and it was not the cause of the boycott.

Answer: B. failure to impose sanctions on South Africa

Exam tip: For Nigerian foreign policy questions in the 1970s-80s, think "anti-apartheid." Nigeria's protests, boycotts and Commonwealth actions in this period nearly always tie back to South Africa. Remember: 1986 boycott = Thatcher's Britain + no sanctions on apartheid.