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U.S Rates Nigeria at 50
- By Williams Ekanem
- Published October 4th, 2010
- Washington File
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U.S Rates Nigeria at 50
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson has given the United States rating of Nigeria at 50 saying the United States regards Nigeria as one of the two or three most important countries on the continent.
According to the envoy, Nigeria “ is important in and of itself as the most populous state in Africa and one of the largest Muslim states in the world. It is also important to the region as the largest economy and the most dynamic business and commercial center in West Africa.”
This, he said, was why President Obama sent a high-level delegation to attend Nigeria’s 50th anniversary independence celebration reflecting the high level of importance the United States places on the U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relationship.
Looking ahead, Carson pointed out that the United States sees Nigeria’s 2011 presidential election as an event of major importance that could reflect an enormous “paradigm shift,” reaffirming Nigeria’s long-term commitment to democracy.
Carson made those points last week in a telephone press briefing with Nigerian reporters. Carson spoke from his office at the State Department in Washington, just prior to leaving for Nigeria.
Asked about the 50th anniversary celebration, Carson told the reporters that the U.S. delegation, of which he was a member, was headed by Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and also included Walter C. Jones, the U.S. executive director to the African Development Bank, and James P. McAnulty, the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. diplomatic mission to Nigeria.
“We are undertaking this presidential mission to Nigeria to reflect the importance the United States attaches to its relationship to Nigeria,” Carson told his audience. Additionally, Carson said Nigeria is important to the global community and West Africa because of the enormous effort that it puts into providing regional stability by supplying peacekeepers who participate in U.N. operations. Nigeria’s “efforts in support of stability in West Africa are widely known and widely praised because of what it did in both Sierra Leone and Liberia and what it is doing today as part of the peacekeeping operations in Darfur,” he said.
Nigeria is also important to the United States because it is one of the global community’s major producers of oil and the fourth-largest supplier of petroleum to the United States, he added. “We value the important relationship with Nigeria and, as a reflection of that, I point out that President Goodluck Jonathan was in New York last week and had an opportunity meet with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.”
Over the past months as well, Carson explained, President Jonathan has had the opportunity to hold talks with President Obama. “We regard this as an important relationship with the United States and we believe that it is important for us to be at this 50th anniversary to celebrate what we hope will be 50 years of looking forward to building on the country’s democratic transformation.”
Asked about the upcoming presidential elections in Nigeria, Carson said they are “extremely important” for the people of Nigeria. “It is an opportunity for people to cast their votes for candidates of their choosing, but it is also an opportunity for Nigeria to solidify its commitment to democracy. It is extremely important that the elections to be held next year be substantially better than the presidential and national elections that were held in 2007 and better than the elections that were held in 2003,” he said.
There is no doubt, he said, that there was a “great deal of disappointment with the way that the last presidential elections were held in 2007.” The United States, he told the reporters, applauds the electoral reforms that have taken place and the appointment of a new elections commissioner who shows “great integrity ... professionalism and independence.”
Carson explained that the United States hopes the forthcoming elections are “free, fair, transparent and reflect the aspirations and the will of the people. It is important that Nigerians have an opportunity to vote,” as citizens of Africa’s largest democracy, he added.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson has given the United States rating of Nigeria at 50 saying the United States regards Nigeria as one of the two or three most important countries on the continent.
According to the envoy, Nigeria “ is important in and of itself as the most populous state in Africa and one of the largest Muslim states in the world. It is also important to the region as the largest economy and the most dynamic business and commercial center in West Africa.”
This, he said, was why President Obama sent a high-level delegation to attend Nigeria’s 50th anniversary independence celebration reflecting the high level of importance the United States places on the U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relationship.
Looking ahead, Carson pointed out that the United States sees Nigeria’s 2011 presidential election as an event of major importance that could reflect an enormous “paradigm shift,” reaffirming Nigeria’s long-term commitment to democracy.
Carson made those points last week in a telephone press briefing with Nigerian reporters. Carson spoke from his office at the State Department in Washington, just prior to leaving for Nigeria.
Asked about the 50th anniversary celebration, Carson told the reporters that the U.S. delegation, of which he was a member, was headed by Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and also included Walter C. Jones, the U.S. executive director to the African Development Bank, and James P. McAnulty, the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. diplomatic mission to Nigeria.
“We are undertaking this presidential mission to Nigeria to reflect the importance the United States attaches to its relationship to Nigeria,” Carson told his audience. Additionally, Carson said Nigeria is important to the global community and West Africa because of the enormous effort that it puts into providing regional stability by supplying peacekeepers who participate in U.N. operations. Nigeria’s “efforts in support of stability in West Africa are widely known and widely praised because of what it did in both Sierra Leone and Liberia and what it is doing today as part of the peacekeeping operations in Darfur,” he said.
Nigeria is also important to the United States because it is one of the global community’s major producers of oil and the fourth-largest supplier of petroleum to the United States, he added. “We value the important relationship with Nigeria and, as a reflection of that, I point out that President Goodluck Jonathan was in New York last week and had an opportunity meet with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.”
Over the past months as well, Carson explained, President Jonathan has had the opportunity to hold talks with President Obama. “We regard this as an important relationship with the United States and we believe that it is important for us to be at this 50th anniversary to celebrate what we hope will be 50 years of looking forward to building on the country’s democratic transformation.”
Asked about the upcoming presidential elections in Nigeria, Carson said they are “extremely important” for the people of Nigeria. “It is an opportunity for people to cast their votes for candidates of their choosing, but it is also an opportunity for Nigeria to solidify its commitment to democracy. It is extremely important that the elections to be held next year be substantially better than the presidential and national elections that were held in 2007 and better than the elections that were held in 2003,” he said.
There is no doubt, he said, that there was a “great deal of disappointment with the way that the last presidential elections were held in 2007.” The United States, he told the reporters, applauds the electoral reforms that have taken place and the appointment of a new elections commissioner who shows “great integrity ... professionalism and independence.”
Carson explained that the United States hopes the forthcoming elections are “free, fair, transparent and reflect the aspirations and the will of the people. It is important that Nigerians have an opportunity to vote,” as citizens of Africa’s largest democracy, he added.
