In the First Republic, Nigeria was very reluctant to have meaningful interaction with ________

Analyze the question: It asks which country Nigeria was reluctant to engage with meaningfully during the First Republic (1960-1966), under Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

Concept: Nigeria's foreign policy in the First Republic was pro-Western and conservative. Balewa's government was closely tied to Britain and the Commonwealth, and it was strongly anti-communist. It was wary of the Eastern Bloc.

Key facts:

• Nigeria did not open an embassy in Moscow until 1962, and the exchange of diplomatic missions with the Soviet Union was slow and limited.
• The government was suspicious of communist ideology. It was seen as a threat to the conservative, Western-leaning political order.
• Nigeria signed (and later abrogated, in 1962) the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact. It was therefore aligned with the West rather than the East.
• Nigeria still kept good relations with the USA, Italy and Germany. These were all Western or Western-aligned countries, and they traded with and gave aid to Nigeria.

Step-by-step elimination:

• A. Italy: a Western European country with normal ties to Nigeria (Italian firms such as ENI/Agip were active later). Not the answer.
• B. The Soviet Union: the leading communist power. Nigeria was reluctant to deal with it. This fits.
• C. USA: the leader of the Western bloc. Nigeria had friendly relations with it (Balewa visited Washington in 1961). Not the answer.
• D. Germany: West Germany had trade and investment links with Nigeria. Not the answer.

Answer: B. the Soviet Union

Exam tip: In First Republic foreign policy questions, remember "Pro-West, Anti-Communist." If an option names the USSR, Eastern Bloc, or communist states in a question about reluctance or suspicion, it is usually the answer.