On the Road in Northern Nigeria in Support of USG Advocacy for Inter-religious Dialogue, Health Sector Improvement, and Cultural Preservation – One Year After President Obama’s Cairo Speech.

On June 7-9, 2010, I travelled to the northern part of Nigeria to visit Katsina, Sokoto, and Borno States to further build U.S.-Nigeria relations. I had the opportunity to dialogue with traditional rulers, community and civil society leaders.

The first stop was Katsina on June 7. I used the opportunity, while in Katsina, to pay a condolence call on behalf of the U.S. Government, on Hajia Dada, the mother of the late Nigerian President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. I also visited the 100 year old Gobarau Minaret (originally built 500 years ago). This historic monument was originally a mosque, and then became a center for learning and a lookout point to spot invading armies. The US Government is providing a grant to rebuild the minaret and protect its proud heritage through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. I also called on the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, in which he strongly emphasized that continuous interaction between Christian and Muslim communities was vital to foster peaceful co-existence amongst the two religious groups.

In Sokoto, on June 8, I paid a visit to His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’adu Abubakar, and commended him for his tremendous leadership role he has played in the Polio Eradication Initiative in northern Nigeria. We also discussed ways to involve traditional leaders in efforts to address other health-related problems such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, in order to improve the health conditions and lives of people in northern Nigeria.

In Borno, the focus was on mutual understanding as I met with the Shehus of Borno and Dikwa and students at the University of Maiduguri to restate the importance of President Obama’s Cairo Speech on New Beginning for America’s engagement with the world -- across nations, peoples, religions and perspectives. She also toured the historic Rabeh’s Fort at Dikwa, North East Nigeria, to learn more about Borno’s rich cultural and religious traditions. The Fort which is now a National Monument was built in 1894 by Rabeh Ibn Fade-Allah, as his headquarters after successful invasion of the Borno Empire. The story of Rabeh’s exploits and death is of great historic importance in the remaking of the present Borno.

Similar to my first visit to the Shehu of Borno’s palace in Maiduguri, about a year ago, I was given a warm traditional welcome by traditional drummers and trumpeters on the evening of June 8, 2010 when the Shehu of Borno, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi received me. Similar courtesies were accorded on June 9 when the Shehu of Dikwa, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Muhammad Ibn Masta II received me in his temporary palace in Dikwa and also presented me with the royal ci-ma-yi dress underscoring his appreciation for the first visit to the palace by U.S. Government Official since his coronation in March 2010. The conversation with the two traditional leaders focused on efforts by the U.S. Government to support the Borno community in health, education and agriculture and to reach out to diverse communities to build mutual understanding, interfaith dialog so that we can all live “as part of human kind in -- harmony, in peace, and in prosperity.”

Also while in Borno, I made my second trip to the University of Maiduguri to have a roundtable with a diverse group of Muslim and Christian students to talk about their views and feelings about the U.S. It was an interesting hour and half where students made both positive comments and raised areas of concern, particularly regarding Nigeria’s upcoming 2011 elections. We talked through the issues and I noted how important it was to appreciate that mutual understanding did not mean we had to agree on everything, but what it did mean was that we respected each others’ views and perspectives. I also stated that “through our partnership we have continued to support all Nigerians to strengthen democracy, encourage free, fair and transparent elections in 2011, fight corruption, encourage good governance, respect for human rights, invest in the people of this great country through our health, education and youth leadership and economic empowerment programs, promote women’s rights and girls education, respect for the diversity of religion, diversity of political views and the diversity of perspectives on the world.”

I told the students that as the youth and future leaders of Nigeria, they must show commitment to building a better future for their country and think deeply about what positive legacies they want to pass on to their children fifty years from now. We ended the session with me noting that Nigeria was one of the U.S. Government’s best friends and thus we wanted the best for Nigeria, especially for the 2011 elections.

Ambassador Robin Sanders' Recent Visit to Jos

I am here discussing with the students

Every trip in any part of Nigeria, gives me a great opportunity to engage with a cross section of Nigerians at all levels. My recent visit to Jos on April 20, 2010 was insightful as I had the opportunity to meet with stakeholders in the Jos Community. I held meetings with the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, His Grace Most Reverend (Dr.) Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Civil Society, Regional Peace Councils and also visited the Laranto Government Secondary School and the Hillcrest American Missionary School.

My interaction with the students of Government School Laranto, who were within the ages of 14-18 years was very fascinating and lasted for an hour and a half. My Interactive session with the students focused on topics ranging from peace and reconciliation, and we also talked about what they believed caused the violence in Jos and as well as their aspiration for the future. The main thrust of my visit was to emphasize USG efforts and assistance in promoting dialogue, reconciliation and peace, and providing humanitarian assistance ito affected areas in Jos.

The USG will continue to partner with the Government of Nigeria, traditional rulers, Ccmmunity leaders and all stakeholders with the goal of addressing th underlying issues that spark the reoccuring violence in the greater Jos area.

My Interview with Allafrica.com

Nigeria: 'We Want Nigeria to Succeed,' But Nigerians Have to Want That Too - U.S. Ambassador (April 8, 2010)

Interview

The failed attempt on December 25, 2009 by the young Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, to detonate hidden explosives on a flight to Detroit created an additional layer of complexity for U.S. relations with Africa's most populous nation and leading oil producer. Managing those ties day to day is the job of Robin Renee Sanders, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria. Sanders is a career foreign service officer who was appointed to the post by President George W. Bush in late 2007 and previously served as ambassador to the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville). The Abdulmutallab incident led the U.S. government to add Nigeria to the 'country of interest' list, which resulted in increased scrutiny of Nigerians flying to the United States and angered many Nigerians who felt their country was being unfairly punished.

This week, the U.S. administration took what Secretary of State Hilary Clinton called a "concrete step forward that will strengthen and deepen the partnership between our two nations" with the launch in Washington, DC of the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission. The high-level forum includes working groups on good governance, transparency and integrity; energy and investment; food security and agriculture; and Niger delta and regional security cooperation. Next week, Nigeria's acting president, Goodluck Jonathan, is scheduled to visit Washington to take part in the Nuclear Security Summit at the White House, where he is also expected to have talks with President Barack Obama.

Prior to departing for Washington to take part in the launch, Sanders, in her first interview since the December incident, spoke with AllAfrica's Reed Kramer about the current state of relations between the two nations. Excerpts follow:

Acting President Jonathan has asked President Obama for a reconsideration of the classification of Nigeria as a 'country of interest' with regard to terrorism. Has Nigeria taken steps that would assist in that regard?

The country-of-interest process is an ongoing inter-agency review here and in Washington. One of the things that Nigeria has done is sign an air marshal agreement with the United States. We see that as a step in the right direction. Also, Nigeria does not have counter-terrorism legislation. We've been in dialogue with them on that. They are in the process of installing body scanners around the various airports in Nigeria. We worked with them on body scanners, and even before the incident of December 25 we had installed five scanners at their international airports in partnership with them. They're installing additional scanners and training their personnel to use them.

How do you assess the security situation in Nigeria now?

The Nigerian government is realizing they are not immune to the global terrorist threat, and it is working hard with us in sharing information and having dialogue on these global threats. We have a good cooperative relationship.

How will the Binational Commission contribute to improved relations between the United States and Nigeria?

The secretary of state when she was here in August highlighted a new strategic framework. With the commission, we are moving that forward in a more formal manner where we have a working dialogue on issues ranging from democracy and good government to anti-corruption and credible elections.

What is your view of how the Nigerian government is functioning?

There's a general sense that Nigeria remains fragile. It is an uncertain environment right now, but there have been some indications over the last couple of weeks that give us hope that things might be moving in the right direction. We want Nigeria to have credible elections, put a framework in place to fight corruption, put a framework in place to strengthen its democracy. These are paramount issues moving forward. We hear that from Nigerians all across the country. They want to believe in elections; they want to have a transparent government; they want to have institutions that can propel the country's economy and political system forward. With a new cabinet in place, we are hoping that these issues can be addressed in a coherent and cohesive fashion with ministers that are capable, diligent and forthright in their efforts to be representative of the Nigerian people.

Has there been any progress in preparing for elections?

We noted that the unedited election reform committee report recently went forward to the national assembly. The committee report has been edited and presented in many forms, edited. We were delighted to hear that the acting president finally sent that report to the national assembly unedited. Action on election reform is now in the hands of the national legislature. The U.S. and the United Kingdom jointly funded an independent electoral assessment early this year at the request of the Nigerian government, and that's all part of this process of looking at election reforms and committing to credible elections.

In my conversation with the acting president, he's very clear that one of the things he wants to do is to make sure that the voices of the Nigerian people are heard and credible elections are held here in Nigeria. Moving the unedited report to the national assembly is certainly a step in the right direction. Of course, there are other needed steps. We would like to see an Independent National Electoral Commission that is really independent and really transparent, which is key to its ability to hold elections that people can believe in. This was not the case in 2007.

What has been the reaction to recent outbreaks of violence in the north and what additional action should the Nigerian government take to avoid future problems?

We've just had [a visit] by the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom [a U.S. government entity whose bipartisan members are appointed by congress and the president].

They were engaged with a cross-section of interlocutors. I attended those meetings, and it was interesting to see the seriousness with which elements of the government are responding. Arrests have been made, which is a departure from the past in terms of how quickly they've done that.

Interfaith leaders here are engaged in addressing the crosscutting issues that seem to encourage the cycle of violence in the Jos area every couple of months. There's a myriad of challenges which the interfaith leaders are trying to address – economic and land issues, religious, sectarian and ethnic issues. I know it often gets boiled down to one or two issues, but there is a broad spectrum of problems that can spark violence. We all want to see the fundamental issues that keep causing these cycles of violence addressed.

The international community, including the United States, has offered humanitarian assistance. If we receive an official response from the Nigerian government, we are prepared to do that, particularly with regard to shelter and the needs that have come out of the violence there. We are working with number of partners in the Jos area to address some of those issues. We are in dialogue constantly with faith leaders to be supportive of their actions to address the issues.

What is your assessment of the Nigerian economy at this time and how that is impacting the country?

Nigeria needs to address corruption issues in a more comprehensive fashion. We do see the ongoing banking reforms as a step in the right direction. We recognize that several of the banks' leadership took advantage of the shareholders, and we hope that those individuals are brought to justice. That should help to underscore that corruption will not be the order of the day.

Looking at the indicators for economic growth, Nigeria is not doing too badly, given the global economic situation. Part of that has to do with the banking sector reforms. There has been some growth outside the oil sector that has helped Nigeria as well, including a slight increase in exports to the United States of products under the African Growth and Opportunities Act. So we see that the macroeconomic policy framework is in place and is making a difference even in this very difficult global financial environment. I'm not saying that it's perfect. I am saying that there are some reforms that are ongoing that we think are the right reforms to do, particularly in the banking sector.

What about situation in the Delta region – the oil-producing area in Nigeria?

The amnesty the ailing president put in place last year has pretty much held up until recently. We've been in dialogue with the Nigeria government about moving forward so that they don't have a roll-back on the amnesty dividends. The acting president has met with militant leaders, which we're hoping is an indication that efforts have been restarted to not only keep the amnesty but to try to broaden that to re-integration and rehabilitation of the young men and women that were active in militancy so that the Delta can have a future that is peaceful, stable, and create an environment for education and development.

Will Nigeria, which currently accounts for 15 percent of U.S. petroleum imports, continue to be a reliable supplier of oil to the United States?

Yes. Until there's a comprehensive peace environment in Nigeria that's longstanding, there will always be ups and downs on security challenges. But I think that Nigeria will remain a reliable partner in that area.

But I want to say something broader than that. There's tremendous potential for Nigeria, not just as a strategic oil partner with the United States. Eighty percent or more of its population is agriculture-based, and Nigeria has the potential to feed itself and to be an exporter of agricultural products. If you think of Nigeria as an emerging market, as I do, there are a number of other areas for potential growth - from infrastructure development to information science and technology, IT. I don't want us to lose sight of that.

Do you see increased interest on the part of American and other foreign investors in those potential areas of growth in the Nigerian economy?

Yes, particularly in IT and agriculture. My personal focus is on agriculture. I've traveled around and seen the potential in that sector. We have a food security program of about 25 million dollars. [One aspect] is a market program, which has helped with the rural-to-urban movement of agricultural products. [It] is reaching 10,000 or more farmers, increasing yields of key crops such as yams and cassava [and] providing jobs in the agro-business sector.

We have a strategic agriculture forum once a year in partnership with a number of private sector institutions to look at developing agriculture infrastructure and agro-business, so that the bulk of the population can change the paradigm of their lives by ensuring that they have income not only for their families but also to introduce entrepreneurship into their communities and into the agriculture sector.

We see more and more American investors moving into the agriculture sector and into the IT sector, and we're encouraged by that. But I would also like to say that we don't have enough Americans here. This is a dynamic and creative environment. The emerging market potential here for American investors is tremendous, and we need to encourage many more Americans to come here and look at these sectors as potential areas of growth for their own businesses.

Whatever the country's potential, would you agree that Nigeria's negative image discourages investment?

Clearly, the image issue is something that Nigerians grapple with all the time. We as partners can work with them on some of those issues, but we can't want more for Nigeria than Nigeria wants for itself. We want to see a stable and prosperous and democratic Nigeria with credible elections, but we can't want that more than Nigeria wants it for itself. We have heard from Nigerians that they want a stable environment, they want a prosperous nation, they want investment. But you're absolutely right; the framework has to be there to make that happen.

We consider Nigeria an extraordinary friend of the United States of America and the American people. We want to see Nigeria succeed.

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201004080001.html

Key Leaders Discuss President's Cairo Speech

June 4 – I was able to host today a substantive roundtable with key leaders at the U.S. Mission to Nigeria on President Obama's first major policy speech on the African Continent from Cairo, Egypt. We watched the speech together and had a lively discussion – Situation Room Style – following the speech, with a variety of views and takeaways as to the messages in the speech. The universal take away by many not only highlighted the President's "extraordinary delivery" of the speech but the content of the speech and its seven key points, not only were for the "Muslim world, but for the whole world," many said, adding that "what he said was applicable to Nigeria and that it was important for us all to work together to achieve these goals as brothers and sisters in humankind.” They all applauded the desire of America to have a "new beginning" with Islam and the global community. One participant noted that the President's speech "will go down as a defining moment in policy speeches and possibly one of the greatest speeches in history." I agree.

Related Story: Ambassador Sanders Takes Reactions on President Obama's Speech in Cairo

Ambassador Sanders' Remarks at the U.S. National Day Reception, Abuja 2009

Remarks

U.S. Ambassador Robin Renée Sanders

U.S. National Day Reception, Abuja
“My Country that Is!”

(As prepared for delivery)

For Immediate Release Abuja, Nigeria February 20, 2009

“My Country Tis of Thee.” My Country that is! I chose this song -- that was so wonderfully song by Nigeria’s incomparable Onyeka Onwenu, and our fabulous American Grammy award-winning artist Chris Thomas King -- to highlight this American national day because it not only speaks to our shared values with our friends in Nigeria, but it is a phrase that can be and should be on the minds, reflective of the spirit, of all global citizens who care about what their country does, whether it is respected internationally and how each and every one of us feels about our nation, our values, our home.

One needs to be able to follow the phrase "my country that is," with "it is fair," "it is generous," "it is diverse" -- all while striving to improve democracy with every step, with every generation, with every person.

We all know that it is our values as people that define us as a nation … freedom … liberty … justice and democratic principles. These are the values that are core to the American people, values that inspire us, that emotionally move us. They are also universal values as they go to the essence of the rights in a democracy. We must never forget this.

America must continue to reaffirm “the greatness of our nation,” by also understanding “that greatness is not a given” but that it must be earned. We want to encourage our friends here in Nigeria to reaffirm their enduring spirit for democracy, choosing a history free of corruption with the noble ideas that I have heard and seen as I travel through this great nation. We want, as Americans, to be partners with you on this voyage.

Together, we can reach all Nigerians yearning to be free of hunger and of want; helping those who desire education, jobs, and a better future for their children, peace and dignity for their families.

We are here to support, not to lead, YOUR efforts to move Nigeria forward -- not backward -- but forward in having peace and development in the Niger Delta, better fighting corruption and improving governance, instituting electoral reform and balancing political differences with the more humble values of respect for diversity and humankind.

On the 20th of January 2009, America and the world witnessed a unique transition; not only a transition of power, but a rebirth, once again, in American values -- emulated by and in the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America. We are as our President said on that day and in that moment a nation (and I would add a world) of “Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus,” and so many other religions. Today, I would like to say that we must remember that the world is shaped by every language and every culture, drawn from every corner of this Earth. And, in this regard “As the world grows smaller,” said President Obama, “. . . America must play its role in [ensuring a] new era of peace.”

America and Nigeria -- we are old, old friends. And, these are the messages that we share with our old friend this evening. The partnership between the American people and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will remain high even through these cloudy financial times.
Our American National activities in northern Nigeria this week and in southern Nigeria next week underscore what we are doing to help in sectors from agriculture, to HIV/AIDS, to community development, capacity building, and humanitarian projects, to spurring more two-way trade between our two great nations.

To my dedicated staff at the U.S. Mission to Nigeria and their families, proud Americans today on this Two Hundred and Thirty-Third celebration of America’s independence, I want to thank you as Team Nigeria for helping me build mutual understanding with our old, old friend.

So I close this evening by noting that I believe that at last, we as a global family are on the right path at the right time and for the right reasons -- At last. I Thank You.
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