An American thinks Nigerias got strength It is good to hear positive people speak. Those are people who dont see only the negatives in others. Jeffery Hawkins is one of such. Hes the Consul-General of the United States of America in Nigeria. That means hes just one step behind his ambassador, the active James Entwistle who, like Angela Merkel of Germany, symbolises the power and prestige of his country yet hes so unassuming. Hawkins, the consul-general, spoke in the course of a TV interview lately. Bits of what he said rhyme with a few things once noted on this column (September 19, 2014), and a few more are right on point as far as this writer is concerned. One of what has been pointed out on this column is that the Americans become hyperactive once election is mentioned here. Ever programmed for it, all sections at the US embassy in Nigeria, and all the way back to the Department of States in Washington DC are on red alert once election approaches. So when Hawkins spoke on TV this writer had paid attention, expecting to hear him speak about Nigerias 2015 elections and other issues. Consul-General Hawkins, why is it that President Barack Obama has not come to Nigeria? the interviewer had asked. Well, Hawkins said, we have had a steady stream of senior visitors to Nigeria, but the President has not been one of them. If the reader expects a commitment as to when the US leader will come, theres a need to remember that Hawkins is a vastly experienced career diplomat. And why does the US have an embassy in Abuja and a Consulate in Lagos? Having a Consulate is a most important way of demonstrating a countrys diplomatic commitment to another country, Hawkins said. The Consulate in Lagos is the largest in Africa for visas and for citizens services; its the number one on the continent. This got the interviewer to ask why this hasnt reflected in the trade volumes between the two countries. Yes, volume of trade used to be about 40 billion dollars, Hawkins pointed out. But the trade numbers are dropping because US isnt importing from Nigeria as it used to, and much of that has been due to reduction in Nigerian oil export to the US. But is there such reduction in US oil import? The consul-general said its because of changes in the American market. Technology now allows US to exploit oil reserves not previously exploited. But are some Nigerians justified worrying about the lower figures in trade which they take to mean a drop in the level of relationship between Nigeria and the US? Hawkins doesnt think anyone should be worried, and he doesnt think the fear is real; its because the scope of what Nigeria and the US do together is so broad that trade is just one minor element. Theres the aspect of Nigerias importance to the US because of its leadership position in Africa - it has the largest population and the largest economy on the continent. Nigerias contribution to peacekeeping operations around the world is noteworthy, and its a member of the UN Security Council at the moment. Furthermore, Nigeria is a very important diplomatic and strategic partner. We have some common threats that we are facing, and terrorism is one of those. And there are the cultural and social ties with some 1.5 million Nigerians in the US and tens of thousands of Americans living in Nigeria. There are more Nigerian students studying in the US than from anywhere else in Africa. All of that led to the matter of Bilateral Commission of both countries, which this writer had had reasons to write about in the past. How much does it work? The commission has been working in the last three years, Hawkins said. Its essentially a mechanism by which very senior-level diplomats between the two countries can discuss issues of mutual interest. The commission has focused on security, Niger Delta, economic issues, governance, and a whole range of other matters. But isnt there something with a student-teacher colouration in the Nigeria-US relations, what with the US supporting the election umpire here, peace and stability in the Niger Delta, security threats in the North-East? Its all like we are toddlers trying to walk. What did Hawkins think of this? I dont think we see it that way at all, the American married to a Frenchwoman had said. Its because, this is a dialogue between two countries and the idea is to exchange our points of view. Americans are concerned about the next election in Nigeria and the outcome - why is it important to you? Hawkins said his country is of the view that we share the value that our Nigerian partner shares. That includes a democratic value. Political stability, democratic reforms, and Nigerias social and economic development are closely tied with this. The US sees the coming of electoral contest as key for Nigeria, because its democratic development provides people with an opportunity to express themselves in a non-violent way, so we feel that that would be good for Nigerians, it would be good for regional stability, help address some of the issues that we see in the North-East and in the Niger Delta, and it would be good for the US, too. In that case, the interviewer had pointed out, since the US always likes to monitor elections in Nigeria and West Africa - why not the other way round? Hawkins said international observers are welcome in the US. In fact, during elections, various countries do send their representatives. Yet domestic observers are more important. It means during elections in Nigeria, Nigerians observing Nigerians are by far the most important and the nation does have a robust civil society that has traditionally played a role as observers. Nigeria copies presidential system from the US; some say its copied wrongly, whats Hawkins take on this? Well, its for Nigerians to judge whether the system is working. Yet he thinks the fact that Nigeria has a constitution with a provision for regular electoral contest is really important. We are not in a position to judge your framework, but as an observer of Nigeria, I have been impressed with your federal system in which states have independence and state leaders can often play a role thats different from the Federal Government. I think thats a strength for Nigeria. As for the question on the worry that presidential system is too expensive for Nigeria, the consul-general didnt want to comment on it, too. Nevertheless, Nigeria is blessed with a great deal of resources, and if wisely used he thinks those resources can sustain a presidential system. With US participation, the kidnapped Chibok girls are yet to return to their parents, why? Hawkins said his country is locked in the same struggle as Nigeria against international terrorism, so the US is with Nigeria in that struggle. But the Chibok matter is first and foremost a Nigerian struggle with support from the international community. His country has engaged with the Nigerian government in so many ways by providing information resources, as well as engaging with the Nigerian security forces in the form of training, equipping, and responding to terror threats. Asked about the allegation that US operatives said that they couldnt trust the Nigerian army with certain information, Hawkins said, I dont think we have ever made a kind of statement like that. But the US has been directly involved in Iraq and Afghanistan, why not in Nigeria, the interviewer wanted to know. For Hawkins, Nigeria is a sovereign state, so his country can only collaborate and cooperate as much as any sovereign state wants. In the case of Boko Haram, we see our case as supporting. And he doesnt think Nigeria needs the full intervention of the US in the North-East because he believes the Nigerian government has the capacity that the Afghan government doesnt have which makes the international community to step into that country. In Nigeria, theres a sovereign government with a great deal of capacity and armed forces that can turn the table against insurgents. And with support from the international community and regional stakeholders, hopefully Nigeria will be able to carry out this in a way that Afghanistan has not been able to do.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 23:03:54 +0000
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