NIGERIA’s ambassador to the United States, Professor Ade Adefuye, over the weekend issued a strong refutation of reports by media organizations that the American government is snubbing its Nigerian counterpart over last week’s extension of the prerogative of mercy to former Governor Diepreye Alamiyeseigha of Bayelsa State, for which the Jonathan Administration continues to be vilified by Nigerians at home and abroad.
Specifically, Ambassador Adefuye addressed reports to the effect that the exemption of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan from the group of leaders of four African countries, who are to be hosted in Washington DC [this week] by President Barack Obama of the United States, was a direct snub of the Jonathan Administration.
According to the Nigerian ambassador, the claims are not only untrue but a reflection of a lack of understanding of the ways of diplomatic engagement between partner countries, on the part of those who published and circulated the apparently false reports.
The four African leaders to whom President Obama will be playing host include President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Joyce Banda of Malawi and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Cape Verde.
Ambassador Adefuye stressed the fact that Nigeria, being a regional and a continental hegemony, was indispensible to any world power with any serious business in the region. As such, an internal affair as the use of the constitutionally guaranteed privilege of the Nigerian president to pardon a Nigerian citizen cannot automatically ruin good relations between an African political and economic power as Nigeria and her United States ally.
The Nigerian chief diplomat to America noted that the visits of the four African leaders had long been in the works, as was the custom of the Obama Administration to host recently elected heads of state.
“The visit of Presidents Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, Macky Sall of Senegal, Joyce Banda of Malawi and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde to President Obama had been planned and agreed months ago. The four countries have one thing in common – they had just concluded elections and processes involving smooth transfer of power – all these happened within the last four months,” Ambassador Adefuye said.
“It will be recalled that when President Goodluck Jonathan won the election in 2011, and before he constituted his cabinet, he was received at the White House by President Obama. It was then the commitment to visit Nigeria was made,” the ambassador said, adding that “American officials insist that the commitment will be honored.”
Also addressed by Mr. Adefuye was the issue concerning American billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates’ visit to Nigeria, which was reported by many Nigerian media organizations as scrapped over the pardon granted Governor Alamieyeseigha by President Jonathan.
Adefuye foreclosed the possibility of such cancellation happening on the strength of information he had to the contrary from the Microsoft founder’s organization, saying that anyone who knows the kind of work that Mr. Gates is involved in would easily dismiss of the notion that Gates would cancel his mission in Africa over the Alamieyeseigha saga.
“To ascribe the Alamieyeseigha factor as the reason for Bill Gates’ cancellation of his trip to Nigeria to further his campaign against polio, malaria and other diseases,” Mr. Adefuye said, “is to demonstrate an acute lack of understanding of the motives behind Bill Gates’ activities in Africa.”
“Contacts with Bill Gates’ office revealed a postponement of the trip because of a clash of schedules of officials and not a cancellation,” he stated.