Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


           Boosting US-Nigerian Ties at Heart of Obama-Buhari Meeting

   by Dan Joseph

   When they meet at the White House Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama
   and his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari will no doubt discuss
   ways of beating Islamist extremist group Boko Haram. But their second,
   equally important priority is ending the strain in U.S.-Nigerian
   relations that has hampered efforts to fight the militants.

   U.S.-Nigerian relations clearly declined during the administration of
   former president Goodluck Jonathan, who Buhari defeated in Nigeria's
   March election, said E.J. Hogendoorn, deputy program director for
   Africa at the International Crisis Group, a Washington-based global
   analysis firm.

   The main problem, Hogendoorn said, was the inability of the U.S. and
   Nigeria to cooperate in the battle against Boko Haram.

   "There was a lot of willingness in the U.S. government to try to
   provide assistance to the Nigerian government security forces,"
   Hogendoorn told VOA.

   "Some of that was taken, much of it wasn't," he added. "That had to do
   with personalities and the [Jonathan] administration itself. Buhari has
   clearly signaled he wants to start over. He's fired all the senior
   military chiefs....  And the fact that he's here relatively soon into
   his administration suggests he wants to discuss seriously with the U.S.
   where they can work together."

   "That said, the U.S. needs to recognize that Nigeria is a proud nation
   and that we will need to treat them as partners rather than as someone
   that can be lectured to," Hogendoorn said.

   Boko Haram not the only concern

   President Obama reached out to Buhari immediately after he was declared
   the winner of the election, congratulating him on his victory and
   thanking him for his efforts to ensure Nigeria's election process was
   peaceful. He also called  Jonathan and thanked him for conceding the
   poll and calling on supporters to accept the outcome.

   The White House has said Presidents Obama and Buhari will discuss
   "shared priorities" at their meeting Monday, including cooperation to
   advance a "holistic, regional approach to combating Boko Haram" and
   Nigeria's efforts to advance important economic and political reforms.

   "Unfortunately, there are major concerns about the Niger Delta [region]
   and how stable that will be," said Hogendoorn. "There are major
   concerns about the economic stability of the Nigerian state with the
   decline in oil prices, and problems with chronic corruption. My
   understanding is that the U.S. government is discussing all these
   issues with President Buhari."

   But Boko Haram unquestionably remains the top concern. Nigeria and four
   nearby countries are currently setting up a multi-nation task force to
   fight the extremists, who have periodically launched attacks in
   Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Earlier this year, those three countries
   helped the Nigerian army drive Boko Haram out of towns and cities it
   had seized across northeastern Nigeria.

   But after a short lull, the militant group resumed its attacks soon
   after President Buhari assumed office on May 29. In one of the largest
   attacks blamed on the group, twin blasts rocked a market in the
   northeastern town of Gombe on Thursday, killing nearly 50 people.

   "I think the real issue for President Obama and President Buhari is how
   do you sequence the enormous challenges that President Buhari is
   facing," Hogendoorn said.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/boosting-us-nigerian-ties-heart-obama
   -buhari-meeting/2866827.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/boosting-us-nigerian-ties-heart-obama-buhari-meeting/2866827.html