After a globally acknowledged triumphant entry and exit of President Muhammadu Buhari from and to United States, the interest of yours truly is purely academic. It’s time for impact assessment of this historic visit. In the wake of last year’s “successful” first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit attended by as many as 50 Presidents and Prime Ministers, I had lamented the “collapse of Dignity in Africa”. The host President Barack Obama, had said the 2014 summit was premised on “…a new model of partnership between America and Africa — a partnership of equals that focuses on your capacity to expand opportunity and strengthen democracy and promote security and peace “.
Yours comradely had argued in this column that with such “partnership of equals” in which one partner (read; United States of America) could confidently host and almost talk at as many as 50 partner-countries of Africa, the world certainly needs a redefinition of equality/partnership equation in which one equals fifty”. The major strength of Buhari’s historic visit was the restoration of African dignity. It is redemptive to see President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) in diplomatic equal eye-ball to eye-ball engangement with President Barak Obama at the bilateral meeting between the officials of both countries at the Oval Office of the White House, Washington DC on the second day of the visit on July 20. It was really ” partnership of equals”! It was a refreshing departure from the teacher-pupils relationship that characterized the ill-fated US-Africa summit.
My friend, Femi Adesina Special Adviser to the President on Media Affairs summed it up better in his comprehensive review of the four-day official visit to the United States entittled; Buhari: From Washington with dignity. The second discernible strength of PMB’s visit is the positive rediscovery of Nigeria by the Americans. There was a Nigeria of not too distant past in which Collin Power was reported to have described Nigeria as a “country of scammers”. Of course the former Secretary of State did apologise for smearing a whole nation, but nothing could be more healing than the generous positive deconstruction of Nigeria under PMB by President Obama. In his welcome remarks, President Obama said President Buhari came into office with a reputation of integrity and a clear agenda and preparedness to bringing peace to Nigeria, curtailing Boko Haram insurgency and rooting out corruption. “On both issues of tackling insurgency and corruption in Nigeria, we look forward to how the United States can partner Nigeria to become an outstanding role model for developing countries,” President Obama said.
For once, Nigeria’s cup is not empty but almost full with clean water. Obama commendably singled out Nigeria as one of the most important countries in Africa, hailing the Febuary historic peaceful election and transition that brought President Buhari to power. He further lauded Nigeria’s track record in tackling Ebola and polio. Nigeria’s development challenges were also addressed in terms of cooperation not with dereliction and contempt. In particular, refreshingly President Obama said the United States looked forward to engaging Nigeria in improving its electricity challenges. Apart from the promissory notes of billions of dollars worthy of investment promised the 50 or so African Presidents and Prime Ministers at the USA-Africa summit, I did not hear President obama acknowledging the integrity of any African leader including that of President Goodluck Jonathan who attended the summit. The third strength of this historic visit is its mutual and equal value. We witnessed diplomatic dialogue in place of unipolar monologue that characterized again the USA-Africa summit. President Muhammadu Buhari rightly acknowledged the continued pressure on the immediate past administration by the United States and some European countries that made the general elections in Nigeria to be free and fair adding that without the external pressure, “we would not be where we are today” in Nigeria. “Nigeria will be ever grateful to President Obama and the United States for making Nigeria consolidate its gains on democracy,” the President said. It is also commendable that Nigeria maintained its independence on the controversial issue of same-Sex marriage. PMB rightly called it what it is; Sodomy underscoring its inherent ungodliness that offends our value system. One weakness of this historic visit is the composition of the entourage. President Buhari should have encouraged a bi-partisan entourage. The war against Boko haram insurgency, corruption (with Nigeria’s billions of dollars in American vaults!) kidnapping formed parts of the bilateral discussions in Washington. All these critical issues are all inclusive national issues that need the attention and buy-in of all Nigerian political leaders of all political persuasions.
It would have been an appropriate statesmanship to have encouraged a bi-partisan team to Washington. And why was there no single woman on the Nigerian delegation? The real threat to the gains of Buhari’s US trip is absence of functioning cabinet. PMB unduly begged the issue comparing his delayed cabinet to Obama’s after his 2008 historic election. The truth of the matter is that President Obama met with Buhari with his full cabinet in place. It would have been political smart to wait for the trip until his cabinet is also in place. But acknowledging this threat is now academic. The opportunity before PMB is to quickly constitute his cabinet to follow up the great diplomatic gains of the historic visit.
ISSA AREMU mni
