Buhari receives Blinken in Aso Rock
December 12, 2021
Ahead of the 2023 elections and in view of worsening insecurity in Nigeria, the United States is ramping up its foreign policy to be more Nigeria, indeed, Africa-focused.
Nigeria-US relationship took a dip during the Donald Trump presidency and this is said to have worried the Joe Biden presidency as it considers Africa very key to global peace.
The US, like all other power blocs, views Nigeria as the political and commercial hub of Sub-Saharan Africa and “would do everything to ensure stability in Nigeria,” a diplomatic source conversant with the new move said.
In its new shift in foreign policy towards Africa, particularly the Sub-Saharan region, the United States government will scale up its involvement significantly in Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general elections especially on areas of security and how the Muhammadu Buhari government manages the elections and every process associated to it.
“President Biden is worried about the deteriorating insecurity in Nigeria. He wants the US to be more involved this time. He wants a clear roadmap of the processes leading up to the 2023 general elections. The US is worried that if Nigeria doesn’t get it right with the election, a worse humanitarian crisis worse that is being witnessed now may arise from Africa’s most populous country,” the source said.
Last month, the United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken visited Nigeria and other African countries in a bid to revitalise warmer relationships with African partners.
The visit, according to Blinken, was to advance U.S.-Africa collaboration on shared global priorities, build back a more inclusive global economy, combat climate crisis, revitalizing democracies, advance peace and security.
President Buhari hosted Blinken in Aso Rock where issues bordering of security, election and economic collaboration were discussed. Blinken’s visit to African countries was part of the new push to revamp the US-Africa relations which dipped coldly under Trump.
It is believed that the cold relationship between US government and sub-Saharan Africa was responsible for the worsening security situation within the region and US is worried that the situation might take a dip south if it is not addressed urgently.
From the era of President Bill Clinton, the Democrats have revved up relationship with Africa. It was sustained by the Barrack Obama government but Nigeria got little from that relationship as the Obama government was perceived to have come hard on the Goodluck Jonathan government over some human rights issues.
Under Buhari, the same insecurity and human rights abuses have worsened but this time, the Biden government has opted to get involved, rather than just talk from the sidelines, the source said.
One grey area which the US government is demanding commitment is the sincerity of Buhari to conduct a free and fair election in 2023. The US is worried that some forces which have taken advantage of Buhari’s lack of awareness of things happening around him, may also latch on to this to scuttle the election. The US is worried at why Buhari is not enthusiastic with signing the newly amended Electoral Bill into law.
“President Biden and indeed the US state department which handles foreign relations policies of the government is worried that the Nigerian government under President Muhammadu Buhari may not be entirely transparent in the build-up to and after the general elections.
“This is more worrisome especially with President’s refusal to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which has really cast a cloud of doubt within the diplomatic circles.
“President Biden is poised to apply the same pressure, if not more on the Buhari government than what was used on the government of President Goodluck Jonathan in the build-up to the 2015 general elections.
“President Biden, then Vice President under Barack Obama, was at the front seat of the happenings and he intends to deploy and even intensify the measures ahead of the general elections,” the source revealed.
President Muhammadu Buhari has increasingly come under severe public criticism over his government’s human rights record, poor handling of security, economic issues and the heightened sense of injustice in the country.
