I’ll call it the Boko Haram summit in Washington DC!
Why?
It is in the national and international security interests of the two
countries to tackle Boko Haram. Especially troubling for Nigeria and
the U.S is the operational convergence of the ISIS and Boko Haram.
First, Obama, son of a Kenyan immigrant-scholar, should underscore
for Buhari the key point that the former soldier was voted into power at
a historic juncture, amidst the dramatic interplay of both squandered
and current opportunities for a national rebirth of Nigeria. Buhari must
move to a higher purpose, away from the seductions and assumptions of
extraordinary power and the trails of nepotism.
Second, it is remarkable that the Islamic group’s response since
Buhari announced at his swearing-in on May 29, 2015 he will crush the
group has been Boko’s killing of almost 600 persons, destruction of
mosques and churches
Third, the defiant escalation by the ISIS-backed terrorists Boko
Haram regarding who defines and holds final authority and power over the
geo-political integrity of Nigeria cannot be waived away as the
misguided acts of a “rag-tag army” of mad zealots. Evidently, if anyone
dismisses the Boko Haram soldiers as simply mad, they miss a tactical
reality: there’s a method to the Boko “madness.”
.
Consequently, Buhari, who has faced the almost daily embarrassment
and relative emasculating of his presidency by daily murderous bomb
attacks by Boko Haram, will seek an increase of American technical
support in order to fight the northeast Nigerian radical Islamists group
Boko Haram..
Fourth, issue for the two men is the realistic assessment of the
facts that since the price of a barrel of crude oil has dropped by
almost 54%, Nigeria depends on crude oil/petroleum sale for nearly 71%
of its national income, there will necessarily be, at least, a 48%
reduction in funds going to the 36 States of Nigeria and its local
government administrations. According to the Deutsche Bank, for Nigeria
to balance its federal budget for the 2014-2015 period, it needs a
revenue stream pegged at $120 per barrel.
Nigeria’s 1.8 million barrels of oil per day (OPEC’s 7th highest;
same as Angola) will need to be increased to at least 2.1 million
barrels per day to begin to meet the spiraling bars of expectations
awaiting Buhari, the 72-years-old man who ruled the country as a
dictator from December 1983 to August 1985. Before then, he ran the
national oil behemoth, NNPC without any reported issue of corruption or
self-enrichment.
Fifth item which will be raised by Obama, U.S VP Joe Biden and other
American leaders is Corruption — especially the oil/gas/petroleum
sector. Buhari will offer the assurances of his direct handling of
things in that area; reflecting what one of President Buhari’s
associates told me “is part of his moves to cut down corruption.” I
think that will be a popular move but an avoidable personalization.
Again, I think that Buhari has to profit from the lessons of the
mistakes of the previous leaders and presidents from the country.
Especially, from one man who is similar to him in some ways. From 1999
to 2007, the presidency of the man, retired General Olusegun Obasanjo
rolled like a juggernaut. He, too, kept the oil portfolio and achieved
minimal results — with resources squandered in petty fights and punitive
expeditions and private appropriations -- all wrapped in his torn and
incredible garment of 'Nigeria's National Interest.'
I am hopeful that millions of dedicated Nigerians and Buhari are
capable of demolishing the infrastructure and commanders of Nigeria’s
Corruption Inc. He has been, literarily, canonized almost as the second
coming of a strict “miracle worker” by his supporters and a jaded
country.
Interesting, too, that already the captains of corruption who
wickedly reduced Nigerians to children of a lesser god are afraid of the
emerging Buhari presidency.
No wonder that in the face of a dithering but gracious and younger
President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigerians chose to return to the past with a
tested, battle-hardened former dictator to fight corruption, deepen
democracy, sort out basic electricity and optimize Nigeria’s future
before it drowns in its own hideous orchestra of mediocrity and
mechanized ethno-religious bigotry.
On balance, I believe Buhari has the capacity to rise to the
challenge of history to be recorded as a man who had a rare second
chance and truly turned Nigeria away from its depiction, stereotype and
realities as a republic of corruption.
A
parent identified as Mrs. Ategbole who spoke after some overtures said
there had never been such incident in the school in the past.
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