Being the first since the transfer of power from one political party to the other, President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent visit to the United States of America is an epoch-making event. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN looks at the benefits the country is likely to derive from the renewal of bilateral relations between the two countries.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent visit to the United States of America has opened a new chapter in the bilateral relations between the two countries. The moment the visit was made public, the question on the lips of most Nigerians was, what are the benefits of such a visit to the country? Washington had bluntly refused to sell arms to the Nigerian government in the twilight of the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, ostensibly because of the accusation of human rights abuses by the military. The general expectation was that the visit would provide an opportunity to explain the Nigerian side of the story to the US and secure a fresh arms deal. But, at the end of the day, it is difficult to say whether such expectations were met or not.
So, what does Nigeria really stand to gain from the visit? A university lecturer, Dr David Aworawo, said the visit would impact positively on Nigeria’s image. According to him, the international community is beginning to see the country in good light.
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Aworawo, a senior lecturer in the Department of History and International Studies, University of Lagos (UNILAG), said: “President Buhari’s visit will further strengthen our diplomatic relations with America. Nigerians in America will have a better deal. The visit will get Nigeria out of the cold, which our past government has put us. At least we will get out of America’s list of blacklisted countries.
“Buhari seems to be the first Nigerian government to enjoy the trust and confidence of the United States of America. For once America is ready to do business with Nigeria like never before. He is someone the American government feel will bring about the desired change. Definitely, our president’s visit will enhance the bilateral relations between the two countries.”
To the former Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, the president’s visit was successful and the gains are too many. “It is a measure of goodwill Obama and the United States government has for President Buhari and his administration. That goodwill goes beyond America; it also extends to international community especially, the western world.”
Security
Mamora said it was an opportunity to give Obama first hand briefing on the level of assistance needed in combating Boko Haram in terms of military assistance. He noted that under former President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria did not get the kind of assistance required from America mainly because of the poor perception of his administration. “The United States did not have confidence in Jonathan’s administration, so the military assistance to combat the insurgency was not there. But now that Washington is ready to work with Buhari’s administration, he is confident of the military assistance from US,” he added.
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A university don, Dr Adetunji Ogunyemi, said since the greatest challenge facing Nigeria today is insecurity and that President Buhari’s visit had afforded Nigeria the opportunity of presenting her security problems to the US. This, he said, would assist the country in the following areas: intelligence gathering; supply of weapons and ammunition; and the training of Nigerian security personnel in counter-insurgency tactics. He said the US has a wealth of experience in the above areas, because of her long engagements with similar challenges in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq in the last two and half decades.
But, Aworawo has ruled out possibilities of supply of arms from the North American country because of a subsisting rule that forbids the government from selling arms to the countries grappling with insurgency. Thus, he believes nothing concrete will come from Buhari’s visit, as far as supply of arms is concerned.
Nevertheless, observers still believe that one major thing Nigeria stands to gain from Buhari’s visit is America’s support in the fight against Boko Haram. At a press briefing after holding talks with Buhari, United States’ Secretary of State John Kerry, affirmed his country’s support for Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram. With America proposal to set up an African military base likely to have its headquarters in Nigeria, it will definitely boost the country’s security.
Anti-graft war
Another thing Nigeria stands to gain from the visit is America’s support for Buhari anti-graft war. Mamora said the American government promised to assist Nigeria in fighting corruption, particularly in tracing looted funds “warehoused” in American banks, which Washington has promised to repatriate back to the country.
Ogunyemi agrees with Mamora’s position. He said the visit would enhance the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fight against corruption, particularly as the US has promised to help identify, seize and repatriate funds stolen by former government officials, so that the new administration can use same to stabilise the balance of payments situation and the cash crunch problem facing it.
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Economy
Analysts are optimistic that the fresh rapprochement between Nigeria and America will boost American investments in the country. Over the past few years America has faced serious threats and competition from China and India over African markets like Nigeria. America knows that Nigeria’s economy is the largest in the continent and is perhaps interested in leveraging on it to boost her economy. This new relation will definitely see America doing business with Nigeria more than ever before. More American investments in Nigeria will generate huge employment opportunities and boost the economy.
An economist, Dr Emmanuel Ezira, said it is possible that the US may reconsider buying the country’s oil. Contrary to widespread belief, Ezira said the US did not stop buying Nigerian oil because of shale oil, but as a punitive measure against the introduction of the Petroleum Industry Bill. He premised his argument on the fact that the US still buys Saudi Arabia’s oil which, according to him, is not better than Nigeria’s but costs far more to transport to the US.
But, Aworawo does not agree. He said Nigeria had no prospects of selling more oil to the US, because the North American country is self-sufficient. “She is second or third largest producer of crude in the world by producing 9.2 million barrels per day. They don’t need our oil for now; it has nothing to do with the strain in diplomatic relations under the former administration. It is because the US now produce enough for its local needs.”
Ezira said the new friendship will make Nigeria navigate the global economic and trade diplomacy with less difficulty. He said the visit will make Buhari’s efforts to recover Nigeria’s stolen hundreds of billions of dollars kept overseas by former government officials easy to find and repatriate. “Even if the US for whatever reasons is not willing to invest in Nigeria, the truth is that America has laundered Nigeria’s image and presented her as a serious investment destination for serious-minded global investors. The visit has once again confirmed Nigeria’s status in today’s world as the most beautiful bride that everyone wants to befriend at all costs,” he said.
Mamora is confident that the level of trade between the US and Nigeria will increase with Buhari as leader of the country. According to him, “the trip offers the US and her people the opportunity to know there is a serious government in Nigeria that they can rely on in doing business in the country. They want to invest in Nigeria and they want to be sure they are doing business in a country with a serious leadership, where their interest can be protected.”
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Improved relations
Nigeria’s relation with the US may likely improve under Buhari’s leadership. The relations turned sour over the failure of the Jonathan’s administration and the military to deal decisively with the Boko Haram insurgency, particularly the inability to locate the over 200 Chibok girls kidnapped by the terrorists. Angered by the refusal of the US to sell helicopter gunships to Nigeria, Jonathan retaliated by halting a US military training programme for the Nigerian military.
The first step towards normalising relations with Nigeria, according to White House, was Obama’s invitation to Buhari for a state visit, immediately after he was declared the winner of the March 28 presidential election. “This feels to us like Nigeria is at an important moment in which there can be real reforms across the board. We are looking forward to what we can do with a President who has staked out an agenda that we think is the right agenda at the right time. The visit emphasises US commitment to strengthening and expanding our partnership with Nigeria’s new government,” Grant Harris, senior director for African Affairs at the National Security Council told reporters.
Ogunyemi said the visit has enhanced Nigeria-US bilateral relations, after many years of significant lull. “To be received by the US President for four days is no small deal in real international diplomacy and countries that qualify for this, especially on invitation by the US President (unlike Benjamin Netanyau of Israel who invited himself earlier in the year) is a significant public relations achievement for any country,” he said.
On what the US stands to gain from Buhari’s visit, he said it was a re-launch of her friendships with Africa’s largest democracy and population. He said: “This is significant for the projection of America’s influence in Africa, particularly in the light of increasing Chinese presence and likely dominance of Africa’s investment and mining industry.
“It is an opportunity of a bilateral coalition in stopping or, at least, reducing the expansion of ISIS’s influence in the whole of Africa. Remember after Iran and North Korea, ISIS is the next hater and enemy of US’s interest in the whole world. Hence, it is not in the US’s long term strategic interest to see that ISIS has a foot-hold in Nigeria or sympathisers in the government.”
Buhari’s visit has stirred up a lot of expectations of better things from the US. But, only time will tell if these expectations will materialise.
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