A recurring principal objective of Nigerian foreign policy is

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for a recurring principal objective of Nigerian foreign policy, meaning an aim that appears consistently in Nigeria's foreign policy statements from independence to today.

Step 2: Recall the concept Nigeria's foreign policy objectives, as set out in the Constitution (Section 19) and in policy statements since 1960, include:

• Promotion and protection of the national interest
• Promotion of African integration and support for African unity
• Promotion of international cooperation for the consolidation of universal peace and mutual respect among all nations, and elimination of discrimination in all its manifestations
• Respect for international law and treaty obligations, and the settlement of international disputes by negotiation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and adjudication
• Promotion of a just world economic order

Nigeria's foreign policy has also stressed peacekeeping, decolonisation, anti-apartheid action, and support for the UN, AU/OAU and ECOWAS. This reflects the aim of promoting world peace with justice.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. Defending Nigeria's friends in Africa: Nigeria supports African states, but it does not have a policy of defending particular "friends". The policy is based on non-alignment and the sovereign equality of states.
• B. Cementing Nigeria's foreign relations: This is vague. Good relations are a means to an end, not a stated principal objective.
• C. Promoting world peace with justice: This matches the constitutional objective of universal peace, mutual respect, and elimination of discrimination, and it appears throughout Nigeria's UN, AU and peacekeeping activity.
• D. Justifying Nigeria's supremacy in Africa: Nigeria believes in the equality of states and non-interference, so it does not aim at supremacy. It is not an objective of the policy.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is C. promoting world peace with justice.

Tip: For Nigerian foreign policy questions, look for words like peace, cooperation, African unity, equality, non-interference, and justice. Be wary of options that mention supremacy, domination, or defending specific countries, because these are usually distractors.