The president’s Washington outing last week marks his first major credit which carpets the shenanigans going on in the ruling party, writes Correspondent, SAM NWOKORO.
Against all fears that the fracas in the All Progressives Congress (APC) would mar the travel plans of President Muhammadu Buhari, the solo government, with a few trusted lieutenants, finally made the scheduled trip to the United States on July 19. The visit on the initiative of U.S President Barack Obama was a rapturous success going by all the razzmatazz and deals that attended it.
Obama sat with Nigeria’s president, and the two leaders charted further course in the project of keeping Nigeria-U.S. relations intact without schism.
The visit was also a consummation of Washington’s eagerness to have close-range capture of the new Nigerian president, and gauge the level of his commitment. American leaders, right from the period of the Cold War between Washington and Russia, attach great importance to state visits, especially of a leader from a country Washington classifies “Most Favoured”, as Nigeria under Buhari. They would like to hear such leader address their intimate concerns: of whether such a leader is one Washington can trust and would do business with on a range of interconnected issues affecting both of them without getting spooked along the line, and whether such a leader would not turn a ‘rebel’.
Omar al Bashir, who promised the United Nations and Washington that he would conduct governance according to democratic norms and respect rights of his people and turned out to be another gruesome murderer of Dafurians, is an example of such rebels. Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who promised he would not pursue nuclear armament, only to turn out be one of the promoters of “nuclear armed Iran” and aided the proliferation of small arms within Middle East is another leader Washington is usually circumspect dealing with them.
There are speculations in the international circles that Obama’s strategists may have advised him to have Buhari visit Washington ahead of Obama’s planned Africa trip to Ethiopia and Kenya, so as not to make the trip upset further tirades from the intuitive Nigerian public who would question such omission, the second such for that matter. Thus Buhari’s state visit would much than most offset such negative feeling.
Talking on the significance of the visit, a U.S. diplomat and former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, said: “The (Obama) administration needed to show some immediate recognition to the achievement of the democratic process and to the will of the people” since Obama will not stop in Nigeria on his fourth trip to Africa.
And Ambassador Princeton Lyman, former envoy to Nigeria, said: “We (Washington) had difficult relations with former President Goodluck Jonathan.”
The epistle
Buhari’s published opinion in the Washington Post was well received. Home audience had in various languages said the piece was statesmanlike. An editor of a national daily, who did not want his name in print, said the piece was in-depth and frank. “He did not project a desperation which is typical of military men in the mould of President Buhari. At the same time, he did not deprecate as if the challenge was beyond the capability of the Nigerian armed forces. He just passed the message as it is: that Nigeria needs and welcomes assistance in the fight against terror because everybody’s interest is at stake.”
Another issue the president touched on in the letter is the huge expectation on him from all and sundry. He tried to douse public apprehension about his inability to have formed a cabinet since after winning election, and also why the fight against graft is a serious agenda he has earmarked to tackle in the next four years.
Addressing the issue of why he is taking time to form a cabinet, the president informed his audience: “When cabinet ministers are appointed by September, it will be some months after I took the oath of office. In Nigeria’s case, it would neither be prudent nor serve the interest of sound government to have made these appointments immediately on my elevation to the presidency. Nigeria must have some good rules of governance conduct.
“There are too many examples in the history of Nigeria since Independence where it can be said that good management and governance were instituted at national levels.”
The president buttressed that: “This lack of governance framework has allowed many of those in charge, devoid of any real checks and balances, to plunder. The fact that I now seek Obama’s assistance in locating and returning $150 billion in funds stolen in the past decade and held in foreign bank accounts on behalf of former corrupt officials is testament to how badly Nigeria has been run. This way of conducting our national affairs cannot continue.
He also pleaded, “While we work to defeat the terrorists, I ask the people of Nigeria and the world for resolve and fortitude”, promising that the campaign will not be easy. “It may not be swift. We should expect stages of success and also moments when it may appear that our advances have been checked. But nobody should have any doubt as to the strength of our collective will or my commitment to rid this nation of terror and bring back peace and normalcy to all affected areas.”
Accolades
The Nigerian president was well received in Washington, rekindling optimism that his journey was not just a jamboree. His write-up in Washington Post, one of the country’s mainstream journal, was well read by Nigerians and his host audience, and responses to his thoughts as contained in the opinion where he marshalled his agenda for Nigeria were well appreciated, judging by some replies to it published in various online media. One response from a Nigerian in the Diaspora, which appeared anonymous on the social media, said: “Good talk. It’s like Nigeria is finding its groove. But you must get the sh*t out of the North East first!”
Obama was full of accolades for Buhari’s talks. For Washington, now surrounded with not a few powerful nations and other up-and-coming power centres like China scrambling for some piece of geo influence in Nigeria, as most of them have been investing in diverse sectors of Nigeria’s expanding economy, the visit helps pep up Obama’s tepid showing in Africa’s economic recovery efforts.
The Obama presidency has only newly inaugurated the ‘Power Africa Initiative’ aimed at putting electricity in the rural areas of some African communities. The project started only last two years ago. Though Nigeria has been promised some commitment, it is not clear whether Obama would be around to fulfil the pledges to Nigeria and some other African countries before the expiration of his tenure in November next year. Even as he embarks on what looks like a farewell visit to Ethiopia and Kenya, apprehension continues to trail what most Africans perceive as his aloofness to his ancestral root.
A Nigerian, Johnson Udo, an international merchant says: “Obama is African with Oyibo blood. He has not helped Africa much. He started late in identifying with Africa’s development priority just last year. Perhaps the many political crises in Africa denied him opportunity to really pursue timely intervention in African affairs. But as our son, we thought he would have. Now he is not coming to Nigeria, a whole Nigeria again, the fourth time of visiting Africa. It shows something is really to be fundamentally sorted out in Africa as a whole not just West Africa.
“Obama was however full of accolades for Nigerians and the Buhari phenomenon. At least that would make up for not including Nigeria in his latest itinerary in African, the fourth time. Past Democrat presidents like Bill Clinton visited Africa many times and spent a whole week in Nigeria, as if he was on holiday. That was when he had time to initiate the US-Africa rapport.”
Obama’s reception of Buhari and his entourage also showed that Washington was determined to work with the Nigerian president. He said: “The Nigerian president has a clear agenda in defeating Boko Haram and extremism, and he has a very clear agenda with respect to rooting out the corruption that has too often held back the economic growth and prosperity of his country.
“On these issues, we are looking forward to hearing more about his plans and how the United States can partner with Nigeria, so that Nigeria ends up being an anchor, not only of prosperity and stability in the Western part of the African continent, but can also be an outstanding role model for developing countries around the world.”
On security issues, Obama said: “We very much look forward to talking about security issues, how we can co-operate on counter-terrorism. We are looking forward to how we can be helpful in Nigeria.”
Obama also reiterated the importance of Nigeria to United States. “Nigeria is obviously one of the most important countries in the world, one of the most important countries in the African continent. Recently, we saw an election in which a peaceful transition to a new government took place. Nevertheless, the people of Nigeria understand that change.”
He eulogised the General saying: “Buhari came into office with a reputation of integrity and very clear agenda, that is. To make sure he brings safety, security and peace to his country.”
Symbolism
As noted by the past two U.S. envoys, the significance of the visit is more a strategic endorsement of the Buhari phenomenon. It shows that the Washington establishment would keenly watch him keep his words. It also offers a moral boost to the president against his party lords who are bent on distracting his government with endless bickering.