UPDATED: Obama to host President Buhari on July 20th
US President Barack Obama will welcome his Nigerian counterpart to Washington on July 20, the White House said Thursday, a symbolic show of confidence after the country’s first ever democratic transition.
“President Obama will host Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House,” a statement said, announcing a visit that will mark “our support for the Nigerian people following their historic democratic elections and peaceful transfer of power.”
The visit will mark “our support for the Nigerian people following their historic democratic elections and peaceful transfer of power,” a statement added.
Obama’s administration had faced criticism for not planning to visit Nigeria during a two nation Africa tour, also slated for July.
That trip will take in Kenya and Ethiopia, countries which have held highly questioned elections in recent memory.
May elections in Ethiopia resulted in the ruling party gaining all 546 parliamentary seats.
A presidential visit to Kenya had been put on ice while President Uhuru Kenyatta faced charges — now suspended — of crimes against humanity for his role in 2007-2008 post-election violence.
Obama and Buhari themselves will have a packed agenda.
The White House said they would discuss combating Boko Haram militants.
The armies of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon have been fighting a joint campaign against Boko Haram for several months, pushing militants out of captured towns and villages.
But village raids continue apace, often resulting in the deaths of dozens of women and children.
Boko Haram has been fighting to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria since 2009.
Obama and Buhari will also discuss Nigeria’s economic and political reforms to “unlock its full potential as a regional and global leader.”
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1 Comments
Here is how the conversation should go:
Obama: you know as a half Kenyan kid, I feel for Nigeria.
Buhari’s response: I was beginning to wonder if you did not care about Africa.
Obama: America has a problem, China and Russia are taking over the financial system and we would not allow it. We will fight a world war to get back control. On which side would Nigeria be? On China-Russia-others or on America’s side?
Buhari: We are not sure yet. In the past 40 years, Britain was very nice to Nigeria, but ever since you guys (USA) starting messing with Britain, you have done things to damage the Nigerian economy. We thought you guys had our interest at heart. We did everything the IMF demanded, even devaluing our currency but you keep demanding for more and more. The more we do the worse our economy gets
Obama: Sorry about that, we had to export American inflation to many countries including Nigeria otherwise America would have had a major financial meltdown. We will do better from now on.
Buhari: We dont know if we can trust you. We see the Chinese keep to their words but your guys do not. For example before the Gulf war, Rumsfeld promised Saddam it was ok to go into Kuwait, then you turned around and destroyed Saddam, his army and Iraq. You did the same to Libya. You tried to do the same in Somalia. We are finding it more difficult to trust you guys. You do not seem to keep your words.
Obama: We will try harder. We will help you fight Boko Haram and help invest in your economy.
Buhari: There is something you need to do for Nigeria if you mean business. There is the intelligence report that the CIA encouraged the growth of Boko Haram by supplying them with money and logistics. There is also the arrest of Americans in the Niger Delta region many years ago seen as trainers of the Ijaw warring youths. The Americans were later said to be journalists but we know journalism is always a cover for the CIA. Are you going to look into the allegations or you would blow it off?
Obama: I am not aware of this. It must have happened before my time.
Buhari: Yes the presidency in the USA changes but the policies remain the same. Are there two governments in the USA? One for public view and the other the real government that never changes?
Obama: I will look into it….
Conversation continues.
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