Over the past year I have written and publicly commented often about Nigeria.
Some of the things that I have written and talked about included the prospects of democracy in Nigeria leading up to the May elections; the challenge of Nigeria to address growing security concerns posed by the onslaught of Bokam Haram; and the very lack-luster and tepid United States response to issues of Nigeria generally, and what steps the Obama administration might take to improve US – Nigeria relations.
The Obama Administration clearly has not been pleased with the Nigeria government, which accounts for the fact that Nigeria, despite it's size and economy, was not on the list of countries that Obama visited during his two trips to Africa, and the US reluctance to support Nigeria militarily in their efforts to combat Bokam Haram.
As everyone now knows, the Nigerian Presidential elections held in May were carried out in an unprecedented free, fair and transparent manner with the opposition candidate Mahamadou Buhari being declared the winner. Perhaps, what was even more remarkable then the election results, was the fact that the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan was gracious in his acceptance of defeat, thus preventing expected bloodshed.
With all this in mind, I sat down at my computer on Thursday to start to write my next piece on Nigeria -- offering some thoughts on developments in Nigeria since the elections and the way forward for President Buhari and his administration as they seek a radical new course for Nigeria. As soon as I started to tap on my computer I received a text message from a good friend who lobbies on Capital Hill, asking if I heard the news that the Nigerian Ambassador to Washington, Ade Adefuye had died a few hours earlier! Of course I was shocked to hear this unbelievable news and immediately called friends in the Embassy and learned that this news was in fact true, and that the Ambassador had died in a local hospital following a seizure.
I can say that I enjoyed an "excellent" relationship with Ambassador Adefuye during his 5½ years as the Nigerian Envoy, and had already begun to work with other colleagues in the Africa-focused community, to put together a farewell reception for him for September 15th, prior to his tenure coming to an end on September 18th. I can honestly say that I have never worked with any ambassador who was more passionate about his country, moreover passionate about Africa and passionate about African people! Ambassador Adefuye made his embassy available to me and my organization, the Constituency for Africa (CFA), for any and all Diaspora-related events and activities. He also sought me out on a regular basis to get my opinion and ideas on what could be done to promote Nigeria and to strengthen the relationship with the Obama administration.
In our private conversations, Ambassador Adefuye was candid about the challenges facing Nigeria and in US – Nigeria relations. He loved his country, but also recognized that improvements would need to be made on the ground in Nigeria if the relationship with the United States was to flourish.
President Buhari's visit to Washington in July, which was organized by Ambassador Adefuye, went incredibly well. President Buhari was well received in the White House by President Obama and had very positive engagements with Members of the US Congress and with the Washington power establishment. President Buhari's requests for US assistance to address the fight against Bokam Haram and to address seemingly endemic government corruption in Nigeria, was well received from all quarters of Washington.
Who can be against President Buhari and his efforts to transform Nigeria from a corrupt and dysfunctional bureaucracy, to a country that can begin to reach the tremendous potential that the natural wealth and the intellectual capital would dictate. President Buhari, reminds us of President Obama when he first came to the presidency in 2008 facing tremendous challenges. He is clearly off to a very good start. President Buhari is showing that he is quite poised, calculating and deliberate.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan also deserves to be commended, especially for the way he accepted defeat at the polls and accepted to hand over power to the new President as it is spelled out in the Nigerian constitution. Perhaps other countries across the continent (17 presidential elections are slated in Africa between now and 2017) can learn from Mr. Jonathan's example. This is very much in line with President Obama's powerful address to the African Union in Addis Abeba in July, calling on African leaders to head the call of the ballot box and to leave office peacefully as determined by their constitutions.
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We all know that once an election has taken place and the results have been confirmed, people are quick to jump on the bandwagon of the new leader, even it means trampling on the incumbent who here-to-for was held up in such high esteem. There is certainly nothing new here!
Hopefully, Mr. Jonathan, even as a private citizen, can continue to contribute in positive ways as the country strengthens its democratic processes, addresses the security concerns poised by Bokam Haram, and builds the economic base that will create jobs for the next generation. He is perfectly positioned to advocate for peaceful political transition not only in Nigeria, but across the entire African continent. This will help Nigeria to take it's rightful place as the "giant of Africa" and as a respected global leader.
Melvin Foote is the President of the Constituency for Africa (CFA), a Washington, DC based education and advocacy organization
