Nigerians Have To Be Patient With Government – US Official(Interview)

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As Nigerians lament over slow government response to their challenges, the United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman, has called for patience and understanding. In this exclusive interview with ezra ijioma, she tells of similar challenges in the US and how they are being addressed. She also spoke on security arrangement with Nigeria and US growing interest in Africa. Excerpts

Does the US have any security arrangement with Nigeria over terrorism?
United States has an incredible broad relationship with Nigeria. We have strong bilateral relationship that is worked through the Bi-national Commission (BNC) on a whole range of issues. We work as partners regionally and even together globally on many issues in the U[nited] N[ations] and human rights council.

Within that broad relationship of course we support Nigeria in whatever Nigeria thinks is appropriate and will be helpful to it. In the area of security, over the years, we have worked hard with Nigeria. We have worked hard with Nigeria as it becomes a leader in peacekeeping throughout the world.

We have worked with Nigeria on intelligence sharing in this country and around the world. We have worked with Nigeria in training to try to enhance capabilities that Nigeria wants for some purposes.

But this visit is about the breadth of the relationship and the depth of the relationship that includes anything from global and regional work together to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan and how the US can support it to ensure that the citizens of Nigeria are all engaged in ways that are appropriate and on issues that are of security concern in the country.

We agreed with the President [Goodluck Jonathan] and his team that there has to be a holistic approach to security not only in terms of counter terrorism efforts or enforcement efforts but also development and the creation of jobs and the understanding that people want to know that they have hope for the future.

In your discussion with Nigerian government, what has been the response?
You know one of the impressive things has been the incredible sharp group of people who are thoughtful and trying to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities, everything from new agriculture opportunities to try to create business out of agriculture and create jobs into the future.

I think that is impressive to me the efforts that are underway. The United States, as I said, wants to do whatever is appropriate and whatever it can to support Nigeria’s vision and efforts for the future.

Each time a US official or team comes to Nigeria, we keep hearing that the US is impressed with the progress Nigerian government is making in addressing social and security challenges, but Nigerians still complain that there is little progress made in the country. How do you reconcile this? Why are we not on the same page?
I think we are on the same page. It is the same in my country. If people don’t have jobs, if people are worried about the future, nothing the government does is fast enough. And government responsibility is to deliver to its people.

There are many people in the United States who are impatient with our government and they need to understand that President [Barack] Obama and his cabinet are working very hard to solve our economic problems, to ensure that people in the United States work in the United States and all groups in the United States have access to jobs, have a future and have opportunities.

But nothing could happen fast enough when you are faced without a job, and in your country where there still substantial poverty, in your country where there are threats and actual violence and terror, nothing could happen fast enough.

You know, if I were a citizen of Nigeria, I would want solutions to all those problems today, but these things unfortunately take some time, and so what we trying to do is to provide whatever capabilities, whatever support we can to the government of Nigeria to speed up that response to its people.

I think the intentions are positive but this is difficult. When you have the challenges that Nigeria has, it takes a holistic approach. It takes not only all the focus of everybody in the country but support from the international community.

So I completely understand the frustrations that I have heard from some of these civil society leaders that things are not happening fast enough. I hear from Nigerians just as I from Americans who don’t think things are happening just fast enough in America.

If you are about to lose your home in America, if you don’t have a job just as President Obama has said no solution is not fast enough but he is working as fast and hard as he can to meet those needs and solve these problems. I understand the frustrations of people in Nigeria, these are hard difficult times. These problems did not arrive overnight and probably won’t go away overnight but I understand the frustrations.

You said the US is extending some capabilities and support to Nigeria towards the Transformation Agenda, can you please specify these capabilities and support?
Yes. We certainly have long provided funding assistance to Nigeria through the PEPFAR program and other development assistance to try to be helpful to Nigeria and to work with the Nigerian government on the priorities for Nigeria. We do provide intelligence sharing. We have provided counterterrorism training.

We have provided some law enforcement training. We are in discussion with the Nigerian government about other capabilities that we might be able to provide, everything from helping to create public private partnerships in agriculture and some of which are in fruition.

These projects create hope for the people because they will put jobs on the ground; they will create a sustainable business environment and that’s very important going forward.

There are media reports that a top US official is here in Nigeria to discuss with our government on ways to address the security challenges facing the country with particular reference to Boko Haram insurgence in the north of Nigeria, is that true?
What is true is that I have come here to talk about the broad agenda we have with each other in our bi-national relationship, in our regional and global partnership and that includes a very broad range of issues.

Everything in discussing agricultural projects or health services to talking about economic development to other forms of job creation to security concerns. It is not about one thing but all of these things are interrelated, all of these things have to be done.

So I have been delighted with the schedule put together between the Nigerian government and our embassy. As I said, it included meeting with a variety of ministers.

We are very grateful for the oil that is gotten from Nigeria. We are very grateful for the oil that Nigeria puts on the table every single day because it helps create stability in the world community particularly as we are dealing with concerns about Iran.

Nigeria’s oil supply is fundamental to ensuring a regular global oil supply. So it’s really been a wide ranging discussion.

This is an African tour you are making, are you also going to discuss political and economic issues in the other countries you are visiting?
Absolutely. I am the Under Secretary for Political Affairs and I am here as a representative of President Obama and Secretary of State [Hilary Clinton] and we believe Africa is really the future. That Africa is where manufacturing will come, where jobs will come. There is a young population in Africa and it is becoming more educated and better trained.

We believe that businesses have seen Africa as more and more as a port of entry for investment. Africa is mineral rich and commodity rich. So we see enormous opportunity in Africa. We also appreciate their challenges and to the extent we can be helpful in that regard we want to help.