President Goodluck Jonathan, who is still smarting from scathing global criticisms of the presidential pardon he recently granted embattled former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha, is facing another international embarrassment after the United States excluded Nigeria from a planned summit between President Barack Obama and some African leaders on how to strengthen democratic institutions in the continent.
A statement signed Monday by White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, and posted on the White House website said; President Obama has invited the presidents of Sierra Leone, Malawi, Senegal and Cape Verde to join him next week Thursday for the summit. Going by Nigeria’s leadership role in the continent, especially in the West African sub-region, the exclusion is a public repudiation of President Jonathan and a slap on the face of Nigeria and its claims to continental leadership as the giant of Africa.
Coming in the wake of strong American reservations over the pardon Jonathan granted his former boss, Alamieyeseigha, keen political observers were quick to point out that Jonathan’s exclusion from the meeting is a further display of White House anger and disapproval of the controversial pardon.
Last week the US State Department formally expressed the American government’s concern that the controversial pardon was a major setback for Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts. In two weighty sentences, the US government, using its Twitter account (under the US embassy in Abuja), twitted: “We are deeply disappointed. We see this as a setback in the fight against corruption.”
The White House Press statement said, “President Obama looks forward to welcoming President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde to the White House on Thursday, March 28. In a subtle but provocative irony to Jonathan’s handlers who have been trumpeting the excellent nature of US-Nigeria bilateral relations, the statement added: “The U.S. has strong partnerships with these countries based on shared democratic values and shared interests.”
The purpose of the multilateral presidential summit, according to the statement, was to provide a forum where “the five leaders will discuss strengthening democratic institutions across sub-Saharan Africa, and building on Africa’s democratic progress to generate increased economic opportunities and expanded trade and investment. “
It concluded that “The visit of these four leaders underscores the strategic importance the President places on building partnerships and substantive engagement with sub-Saharan Africa, and our commitment to working with strong and emerging African democracies.”
Although Obama only invited four African presidents and Jonathan was not the only one left out, US State Department sources insist that by the nature of Nigeria’s leadership role in the continent, and especially in West Africa, the exclusion of Jonathan was not by error because of the significance of Nigeria as the frontline of the US war on terror in Africa. “The US is sending a message which is loud and clear to Abuja and Nigerian authorities can only ignore it at their own peril,” the source said.
US State Department sources also told Huhuonline.com over the weekend that plans to have Obama visit Nigeria in his second term have now been completely taken off the table and shelved sine die as a result of the pardon, as President Obama is expected to clearly distance himself from Jonathan who is fast becoming a pariah in the international community. (Read Complete White House Statement Below)
Statement by the Press Secretary Announcing the Visit of African Leaders
President Obama looks forward to welcoming President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde to the White House on Thursday, March 28.
The United States has strong partnerships with these countries based on shared democratic values and shared interests. The five leaders will discuss strengthening democratic institutions across sub-Saharan Africa, and building on Africa’s democratic progress to generate increased economic opportunities and expanded trade and investment.
The visit of these four leaders underscores the strategic importance the President places on building partnerships and substantive engagement with sub-Saharan Africa, and our commitment to working with strong and emerging African democracies.
