Adefuye: Obama Did Not Snub Jonathan

Prof. Adebowale Adefuye

Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, thursday said United States President, Barack Obama, did not snub President Goodluck Jonathan with his invitation to the White House of four African presidents.
 

Adefuye explained that the invitation of Presidents Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, Macky Sall of Senegal, Joyce Banda of Malawi and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde to the White House by Obama had been planned and agreed months ago.He added that it was a routine practice of the White House to invite presidents of countries that had successfully conducted elections in their home countries, a gesture that was extended to Jonathan when he won his election in 2011.

“The four countries have one thing in common – they had just concluded elections and processes involving smooth transfer of power – all these happened within the last four months.In the case of Cape Verde and Senegal, it involved defeat of the ruling party. It will be recalled that when President Goodluck Jonathan won the election in 2011, and before he constituted his cabinet, he was received at the White House by President Obama. It was then that the commitment to visit Nigeria was made. American officials insist that the commitment will be honoured,” Adefuye noted.

He also explained that the scheduled visit of Obama to Nigeria was still on course as both countries had continued to hold discussions on that.He said: “We are continuing discussions on the exchange of visits by the two Presidents. And we are hopeful that the promise made by President Obama to visit Nigeria will be fulfilled.”Reacting to claims that diplomatic ties between both countries may have gone sour in the wake the recent presidential leniency granted some Nigerians, Adefuye noted that Nigeria and US had continued to hold their diplomatic relationships high.
 

He noted in the response that was obtained by THISDAY in Abuja that Jonathan’s presidential clemency to former governor of Bayelsa State, Dieprieye Alameiyeiseigha, and other Nigerians had not affected existing ties with US and that the tempo of diplomatic ties between both countries remains high.Also in his reaction to alleged claims that the US may have sidelined Nigeria in the scheme of global economic activities, Adefuye said: “On July 29, 2011, President Obama received at the White House the Presidents of Benin, Niger, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. The Presidents now being received in a group by President Obama and those received last year also in a group are all participants and members of the American Government established Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

MCC was created by the U.S. Congress in January 2004 with strong bipartisan support MCC is a prime example of smart US Government assistance in action, benefitting both developing countries and US taxpayers through competitive selection, country-led solutions and country-led implementation.MCC forms partnership with some of the world’s poorest countries but which are committed to good governance, economic freedom and investments in their citizens.”

He continued thus: “Among members of the MCC are Albania, Armenia, El Salvador, Georgia, Guyana, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova and Mongolia. In Africa the members, among others, are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Malawi and Liberia.All the four African Presidents invited to see Obama belong to the MCC group and the discussions are likely to centre on MCC projects and other issues. Nigeria is not a member of MCC and was never in consideration for the meeting.

“Furthermore, the announcement of the pardon to Alamieyeseigha was made three days after the official White House announcement of the visit of the four African Presidents.”Dismissing the allegations that the cancelled visit of US philanthropist, Bill Gates, to Nigeria was as a result of the presidential pardon, Adefuye said: “On the eve of my return to base after the successful US trade delegation to Nigeria on infrastructure development, I had cause to respond to media reports on the purported souring of relations between Nigeria and the US.

I thought that my explanation would satisfy our friends in the media that the Alamieyeseigha issue is not enough to weaken the bonds between the two countries. While in Nigeria, I made contacts with US authorities.”“And this morning, I discussed with the relevant authorities on the reaction of the host government to the Alamieyeseigha issue. I am pleased to report that there has been nothing beyond the statement made by the American Embassy in Abuja and that the relations between the two countries remain as they have always been since 2010.

“I was therefore surprised to read in some of our media outlets  that Gates has cancelled his planned trip to Nigeria and that Nigeria has been excluded from the list of four African heads of state invited for a meeting with President Obama.”He further said: “To ascribe the Alamieyeseigha factor as the reason for Gates’ cancellation of his trip to Nigeria to continue his campaign against polio, malaria and other diseases is to demonstrate an acute lack of understanding of the motives behind  Gates’ activities in Africa.

Here is a philanthropist who had decided to reduce poverty and diseases in the third world. His passion in these areas is unparalleled. Gates is not completely apolitical. He will obviously applaud good governance, respect for rule of law, justice and fair play.But to imagine that he would cancel a trip designed to carry out the fight against the deadly diseases because of a dispute over the exercise of the prerogative of mercy which is provided for in the constitution, is to underestimate the extent of Gates’ personal commitment to the humanitarian cause which he has voluntarily chosen to champion.”

According to him, the US State Department was initially unaware of the planned travel by Gates and its alleged subsequent cancellation, adding that contacts with Gate’s office also denied that the Alamieyeseigha’s issue was responsible for the cancellation.“Contacts with Gates’ office revealed a postponement of the trip because of a clash of schedules of officials and not a cancellation,” he added.