Despite the optimism still trailing President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to United States of America, Nigerians in that country are not entirely happy with the visit.
They say rather than shore up the image of Nigerians in America, the visit has brought them under intense scrutiny. Kingsley Osahor from Baltimore, Maryland, speaking to TheNiche said, “What we expected from Buhari’s visit is not what we got when he left. It is true that in some aspects the visit helped reshape the perception of people in America about Nigeria, but in a whole, the white supremacist group still taunt us”.
Osahor said what most people say about Nigeria is that we are beggarly and incapable of solving the most banal of problems like electricity. “The President came almost cap in hand asking Obama to help them solve electricity issues, which to me doesn’t need external help to fix. All that needs be done is to tackle the corruption in the system. Most of us are here because we get basic infrastructure as electricity. So, if the government can fix that, many Nigerians here would return home”, he said.
“I think there are two sides to the issue. Almost every country in the world looks up to America for one sort of help or another. So, Buhari’s visit to America is not entirely misplaced, considering that majority of Nigerians in Diaspora live in this country, said Oluwaseyimi Akinsuyi also from Baltimore who disagreed with Osahor.
“What I think President Buhari should have concentrated his visit on is insurgency and corruption. Insurgency because America has vast experience in fighting terrorism and also the equipment to handle any type of terror, Akinsuyi said.
And there are others who are peeved that Buhari’s visit was not all-inclusive. They feel that the president was cornered by some people who did not allow others with cogent issues to discuss with him at the venue of the parley.
At least 200 Nigerians resident in the United States were locked out of a scheduled town hall meeting with President Buhari in Washington DC.
The meeting was one of many activities planned for the state visit of President Buhari. It was, however, the only forum set aside for interaction between diaspora Nigerians and their president, and one of a few activities organised solely by the staff of the Nigerian Embassy.
Information about the meeting trickled out to some Nigerian organisations, including Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) and APC USA chapter, weeks before the President arrived.
Invitation cards bearing Nigerian colours and coat of arms were specially designed for the event, some of which were allocated to Nigerian organisations, and some individuals.
The cards specified that the town hall meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, from 6 to 8 pm and that it was to hold at the Nigerian Embassy. It also stated that invitees should wear business or national attire and that guests reply to one Bukar Kolo.
A source within the Nigerian community stated that the Embassy printed only 200 copies of the invitation cards. He did not explain why so many Nigerian who showed up for the town hall meeting were left standing outside the fence around the Embassy.
At least 200 people who travelled from distant cities were refused admission into the Embassy. Many of them, including Professor Peter Opara who came from Boston, had invitation cards.
The Embassy staff, who were assisted by members of the United States Secret Service to control the crowd, did not offer explanation for the lock out to their fellow Nigerians even as staff of other embassies in the neighbourhood looked at the spectacle with disgust, reports Premium Times, an online newspaper.
