Before Buhari goes to America

Second, for no fault of his own, Buhari is going to America on a precarious perch to plead for Uncle Sam’s help. But before then, here is a necessary mock to consider.Insecurity, particularly the challenge of Boko Haram, is expected to top the agenda. However, it has become apparent that something else will dominate their […]

Second, for no fault of his own, Buhari is going to America on a precarious perch to plead for Uncle Sam’s help. But before then, here is a necessary mock to consider.
Insecurity, particularly the challenge of Boko Haram, is expected to top the agenda. However, it has become apparent that something else will dominate their meeting.
Of course, President Buhari will have the opportunity to appeal for additional US aid in combating the terrorist group, among other issues. But this would raise suspicions.
Obama’s view of Nigeria is an open book. When compared to the era of George W. Bush, the first African American President has been less charitable to Africa, particularly Nigeria because of the endemic corruption that continues to ravage our nation. He is not alone. People with common sense are mystified of how and why Nigerian leaders have been so ruthless in squandering the future of the country through institutionalized corruption.
To that end, Obama is acutely aware that past efforts on insurgency were not hampered because of lack of funds or human resources. He is keenly aware that the failure is squarely tied to corruption in the security services. The U.S. President, no doubt, will remind President Buhari that his pledge of eradicating systemic corruption in the African country was the main reason the masses as well as the international community rooted for a change. 
The point is that Buhari is not the first Nigerian leader to have assumed power with best intentions and visited America to shore up support. His immediate predecessors, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan both paid similar visits to the United States with high hopes after being inaugurated presidents. They also preached reforms, adherence to rule of law, and commitment to wage war against corruption. However, rather than fight corruption, Yar’Adua and Jonathan went on to institutionalize corruption in high places. Patrons and other big wigs of the ruling party who were under investigation for stealing billions of public funds were being eulogized and paddled into cabinet and other highly visible political appointments and party positions. We are all witnesses to the outcome. Next…
President Buhari is in a very delicate predicament. Unlike his predecessors, he will be arriving White on a shaky ground. As a candidate for the presidency, Buhari had endeared himself to the world with the solemn vow that, if elected president, the APC central government will not appoint corrupt persons or people with pending cases at the anti-corruption agency. Thus far, Buhari has recorded some measurable success in the war against corruption. For the first time in a long time, the anti-corruption agency has shown some muscle by investigating corrupt practices and detaining powerful suspects across the political spectrum. Further, he is taking his time to ensure that people appointed to the executive cabinet are of impeccable character. At the same time, the legislature under the APC administration is polar opposite to any idea of war against graft. In fact, the world view is simply that leadership of the Nigeria’s highest law making body, the 8th Senate, is too corrupt, selfish, and untoward to advance positive change.
Not only is the very leadership of the upper chamber a hybrid of the comatose Senate that combined to ruin President Jonathan’s administration, it is a carbon copy of the same characters that Nigerian masses roundly rejected on March 28. The fact that the opposition, the very enemies of change-instead of the ruling party-has suddenly become the most vocal cheerleaders of the Senate leadership is sufficient to alert Buhari of a hidden agenda.
An attempt will be made by the Nigerian delegation to the White House to invoke the reigning glib of separation of power among the three arms of government, but their host will push back. But before jetting all the way to Washington DC, Buhari could ask the US Ambassador in Nigeria who will readily explain that Rep Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader in the US Congress, will step down if she loses the confidence of the leader of her party, President Obama.
The common rap across the globe is that Buhari is boxed to a corner. People consider him hesitant to ruffle corrupt people who are some of the biggest campaign contributors to the change movement that brought him to power. But Buhari must not allow recent history to repeat itself. No single individual or group of individuals, no matter how highly placed, should constitute a roadblock to common good. The March 28 mandate is not the province of loquacious opportunists but a global coalition of progressive elements from different walks of life who sacrificed, and must continue to sacrifice, for the success of the change.
Some pundits can also argue that some of the Senate leaders being fingered for corruption should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, the nation is in crisis; this is not an ideal time to experiment with politicians with tarnished image.
All told, there is hope. Buhari’s enviable pedigree is still potent. The American visit is a golden opportunity to reassert himself and reassure the Nigerian masses as well as the international community that he truly belongs to nobody. Obama will like to find out from Buhari, one-on-one, the specific action plan to influence immediate changes to the leadership of Nigeria’s highest law-making body – the Senate. For perception is everything in politics, and no one needs to be told that the corrupt image of Nigeria’s Senate leadership puts a big question mark on the war against corruption.
Recent shale oil boom in the United States has no doubt compelled the country to scale back in crude imports, yet there are many ways President Obama can still reignite interest in Nigerian oil and gas sector. But he is understandably very reluctant. The truth is that the world is tired of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Apart from the dizzying corruption within the state oil company, President Obama in particular is very frustrated with the advance-fee (419) fraud letters that originate from Nigeria, most of which are linked to NNPC, a concern he raised in a campaign speech in 2008. Not only has this scam devastated many Americans, it has also contributed to Nigeria’s bad image in the United States and elsewhere.
Dr Ogbonnia is the Executive Chairman, First Texas Energy Corporation, Houston, Texas, US<[email protected]>