Washington, D.C. — Debt, democracy, HIV/AIDS, regional stability and defense, as well as oil, economic reform and bi-lateral cooperation are all on an extensive agenda during two days of talks highlighted by a discussion between U.S. President George Bush and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo Friday morning.
In Rwanda Tuesday, where he discussed with President Paul Kagame ending the 3-year-old Congo conflict, President Obasanjo said that in Washington he planned to push for more U.S. backing for his efforts to end the war.
Obasanjo is the first African head of state to come to the U.S. as an official guest of the Bush Administration. Thursday evening he will meet with Secretary of State Colin Powell at Blair House.
The invitation to visit Washington was issued by President Bush. Nigeria, a senior administration official said, is "potentially" its "most important" African partner.
"Just do the arimitmetic: It's the largest country in terms of population; it has Africa's second largest economy; 8 percent of our imported oil comes from there....Nigeria is the essential relation when it comes to relations with African countries."
A short official White House statement on the visit said "President Bush looks forward to discussing with President Obasanjo defense and economic cooperation, as well as other issues of mutual and regional interest."
The crowded schedule of the two and a half day visit includes separate meetings with the Secretaries of Energy, Commerce, Defense and Education on Thursday as well as the meeting with Secretary Powell. The day concludes with a large dinner for Nigerian constituents.
Mr. Obasanjo will lunch with Mr. Bush after meeting with him Friday. He will also meet with officials from the World Bank and IMF, the U.S. Trade Representative, and the leadership of the House of Representatives.
President Obasanjo's stay in Washington is cast by the administration as a visit aimed at giving more definition to U.S. Africa policy. "We're trying to move a policy agenda with Nigeria," a senior white house official told reporters Tuesday.
Africa has not been considered of partiucular interest to the Bush Administration, in the view of many observors, but - citing talks by the administration with the Presidents of Rwanda and Congo during the Congressional Prayer Breakfast earlier this year - the senior White House official rejected this. "The notion that this administration will not take an interest in Africa is wrong. My expectation is that you will have as much engagement by this administration as the last, and maybe more."
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Almost immediatedly after taking office,the Bush administration certified Nigeria as a country fully cooperating with the United States in the fight against drugs. Twelve to 15 percent of the heroin entering the United States is "trafficked" from Nigeria. The White House official said that, despite the flow of drugs, Nigeria had made a "sincere if incomplete" effort.
The U.S. and Nigerian administrations are in substantial agreement on the need to end regional conflicts in Africa. Tougher questions that affect U.S.-Nigeria relations center on internal matters such as transparency of government, continuing democratization, and developing civil society. "On the question of democracy, that's still an expectation among the Nigerian people," says an administration official.
Much of the future depends on economic revival. Despite great oil wealth, Nigeria remains a poor nation with much of the population earning less than $1 a day. As with the devlopment of the Bush adminsitration's Africa policy, The official urges patience with Nigeria's return from years of military rule. "The damage that was done was not done overnight. Revival of the economy is going to take a while."
