Abuja — In Nigeria, where debate is a favorite national pastime, President Clinton is topic of the day.
Talk shows and newspaper columns are full of sharply disparate viewpoints on what Clinton's visit this weekend might mean for Africa's most populous nation - or whether he should even be here at all.
At the heart of it all are the ambivalent feelings that Nigerians - who see their own country as an African superpower - have for the wealthy and powerful United States.
Clinton seems to enjoy considerable popularity in this country, and traveling Americans are welcomed cordially. At the same time, there is a widespread perception that the United States cares little about Africa and is doing too little to help, even where current problems are seen to be the direct outcome of American actions, such as support for many African dictators during the Cold War.
But whatever views Nigerians may hold about the president's trip or the country he leads, many are in agreement that the logistical and security demands imposed from Washington are excessive and insulting to this country's sovereignty.
"We know he is president of the world, but I still don't see why the arrangements had to be so elaborate and the cost to us so great," said one government official involved in the preparations. "We know he is not going to do anything concrete for us."
News reporting helps feed the discomfort. Depending on which stories or rumors you want to believe, there are several hundred or even 5000 U.S. secret service and intelligence agents in the country; a dozen or two U.S. Air Force planes were used to shuttle security gear, food and vehicles to Abuja, including a heavily-armored presidential limousine; the presidential entourage numbers several hundred or several thousand - and so on.
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Here in the country's capital, some 500 miles inland from the commercial and industrial capital Lagos, the impact has been felt by people at all levels of the economic ladder. Beggars were reportedly rounded up and hauled off to a distant location early in the week.
Yesterday and today, high-level government officials and executives from major enterprises have been enduring long waits to get the special photo ID's White House security has mandated for every person involved in the visit, with the only permitted exceptions being President Clinton, his Nigerian host, President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Nigerian Vice President Abubakar Atiku.
At the Nicon Noga Hilton, which has been converted into the US operational headquarters, tempers flared throughout the day as people jostled to gain access to the small meeting room where there is a single camera and computer unit to handle all the badges. When young White House aides were ushered to the front of the line to get their photos taken, Nigerian cordiality was put to the test.
Addressing the furore at a news conference yesterday, Nigerian Information Minister Jerry Gana said the large American security presence was understandable and something that occurs wherever an American president travels. Nigeria has neither the equipment nor the trained personnel to handle the security requirements, he said. "We have our national pride but we are a realistic administration," he said.
