advantages of Buhari's recent Foreign trips.
Read below
In making this public intervention, I seek
to highlight the benefit of global
relationships and cooperation in a world
that is changing daily as a result of
globalization and transborder economics,
social and even criminal activities where
no one is safe, except all are safe, and to
leave the dispassionate observer his
opinion after deep reflection on the value,
or lack of it, of the President’s foreign
trips.
This way I hope every Nigerian who cares about
our country will have some information about
what their President is doing about the things
that concern them. First I will start with context.
Barely 2 decades ago (between 1994 and 1998)
we would not have quarreled with the
description that we were a pariah nation. We
were ostracized from global events because of
bad governance. We had lost the respect
accorded Nations like ours were they well-led
and well-run. I recall that not a few Nigerians
complained that the green passport was
becoming, if it had not already become, a
burden. That was at the height of the dictatorial
government that broke the rules of international
relations. It was from there that we started to
heal. Investors entered our country. Many
brands that we sought after abroad started
coming to set up shop in our country. The
tourist footfalls in our country increased slowly
but surely, but again we began to slide.
That was when Buhari declared at a meeting in
Lagos during his campaign in 2015, that if
elected, he would make us proud about our
country again. Proud to be Nigerian again. That
is the context in which I view his foreign trips
and the manifesto of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) on Foreign Relations which
promised to: Make the Nigerian national interest
the overriding factor in its foreign policy and
international relations. Work to reform global
governance in multilateral institutions and
agencies. Work to strengthen the African Union
to become a more effective organization on
global affairs. Engage the BRICS countries
(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) on
the basis of equality. Play a leadership role to
develop a MINT (Mexico, India, Nigeria, and
Turkey) as a counterforce to BRICS. I will limit
my takeaways to 4 (Four) trips that I attended
with the President namely: the G7 Summit in
Germany, the Oil and Gas Summit in Iran, the
Renewable Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi and
the State visit and Business Forum in China; and
2 (Two) trips that I did not attend, but whose
deliberations I followed, namely: Paris for the
COP 21 and USA for the Nuclear Energy Summit.
G7 in Germany This is a club of eight of the
most industrialized, economic and
technologically advanced nations. For the
benefit of those who do not follow international
politics it was originally the G8 comprising the
USA, Britain, Germany, France, Canada, Japan,
Italy, and Russia, who were later suspended and
had sanctions imposed on them to make it G7
as a result. It was formed in 1975 as a club of
6 (Six) before Canada and Russia were
admitted. They look after each other, and the
rest of the world to put it simply. They have
gone to war together if you remember Iraq and
Libya in recent memory and they are all largely
collaborating to fight terror. (Most recently the
FBI was rendering assistance to Belgium in the
aftermath of the terror attacks in that Country).
Why G7 one might then ask? Answer: German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, as host, invited PMB
on his inauguration to be their guest along with
some three or four other African countries.
Their agenda was global security, global
economy and global health in the aftermath of
Ebola, which was still raging in some African
countries. Apart from the personal aides of the
President, Governor Shettima of Borno, General
Dambazau and myself were the only ones who
accompanied PMB. I recall that upon our arrival
in Germany they expressed surprise that our
delegation was small and asked if others were
still coming. In the pre-departure briefing, in
addition to highlighting how the security and
economic agenda of the G7 coincided with 2
(Two) of his campaign promises, security,
(corruption) economy, PMB stated the reasons 3
of us were invited. Governor Shettima was in the
front line of terrorists and criminal activities in
the north east; General Abdulrahman Dambazau,
was a former Chief of Army Staff, and also a
faculty associate of Harvard University
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs; I
had run the single biggest economy of a state
within Nigeria for eight years and was in the
frontline of Ebola. Without ministers, one week
after taking office, he felt we were the ones best
suited to assist, if he needed it, on the issues of
security, economy and health on the G7 agenda.
In the event, he did not need us. He held his
ground admirably. He was the first person called
upon to speak at a Summit in which Nigeria was
not a member. I was proud to be a Nigerian. At
global summits we usually got to speak when
others had spoken and the hall has emptied.
President Obama was the first G7 member to
speak after PMB and he said that Nigeria has
elected a President that brings a reputation of
scrupulous integrity to the table. I was proud to
be a Nigerian. The opening session was robust
and welcoming, we saw some of the world’s
most powerful men and women take off their
jackets, call each other by their first names in a
club-like setting while addressing the world’s
most serious problems. Problems that affect
you and I daily. I was proud that my President
was in a room where decisions concerning my
planet were being deliberated upon. Prime
Minister Cameron, Chancellor Merkel and others
also spoke in similar vein about our President’s
reputation and our nation’s strategic position in
Africa and the world. They pledged support for
Nigeria on Terror and the Economy. Importantly,
I learned that their scientists were worried about
increasing resistance of strains of infections to
antibiotics; and that they were committing
enormous resources into finding out why and
what to do. They highlighted the difficulty of
time and resources that it will take to develop
new antibiotics and the risk to global health. If
we all appreciate how vulnerable we can be
without effective antibiotics, especially our
children, and if we remember how low life
expectancy was and how poor global health was
before the discovery of Penicillin after the World
War, we will appreciate the seriousness of the
platform to which Nigeria was invited. I was
proud that our President was there. If the seven
most powerful nations stand with you, who can
stand against you? I need not say more except
that I can attest that PMB has been following up
on these matters, and the progress on security
is visible, while results on the economic front
will manifest soon enough. Iran Oil and Gas
Summit For those who are not aware, one of the
reasons why oil prices went up, and from which
we benefited in the past, was that Iran, the
world’s 7th largest producer of oil, was facing
global sanctions from which she was due to
emerge in 2016. Because Iran was soon to be
selling oil, the likelihood of a further crash of oil
prices that had drastically fallen was a threat to
Nigeria’s economy if oil prices crashed further.
(Our 2016 budget proposals had just been
formulated on a $38 per barrel assumption) I
was witness to PMB’s persuasion to Iran to
come to the market slowly instead of pushing
out large volumes which will raise supply and
crash prices, even though Iran also needed the
cash. You can’t do that type of diplomacy by
letter or by phone, in my view, not when the
major players were all there in person. I
witnessed the meeting with the Venezuelan
prime minister, who was leading the South
American producers to sell more and get cash
even if the prices were lower.
PMB’s logic was different. Hold your volumes,
steady the price, and don’t let us hurt one
another. Recorders of history will recall that the
Venezuelan government suffered a major
political defeat in Parliament, while PMB’s logic
has at least steadied oil prices. It might interest
you to know that all European nations sent their
oil ministers, except Russia, where Vladimir
Putin came in person, because having been
suspended from the G8 and facing sanctions,
this was the meeting where his country’s
interests were best served. For the record,
Russia pledged a $5 Billion state support to Iran,
and if the purpose of this is lost on anyone, I
interpret it to mean, “Take cash, don’t pump out
your oil. It will hurt me.” This is the reality of
international politics. Finally on Iran, PMB told
us, how when he flew to Iran in his days as
Petroleum Minister, he noticed how much gas
they were flaring and now he returned as
President, all the flares were gone. We found out
that all the gas had been harvested and piped to
every home for heating, cooking etc. His
mandate: “If they can do it, we must do it.” I am
proud to be led by a President who sees good
things outside and seeks to bring them to his
people. Abu Dhabi Renewable Energy This is
reputed to be the richest of the Emirates in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE). Apart from seeking
cooperation to recover Nigeria’s stolen wealth
stored in the UAE [His anti-corruption
commitment pursued in person], PMB addressed
a renewable energy summit where we learned
about initiatives to bring solar power price down
to 5 (Five) US cents per kilowatt hour,
(approximately N10) as against the price of 17
(seventeen) US cents (N34) per KW/h tariff in
Nigeria fixed at privatization by the last
Government. PMB’s mandate was for us to
explore collaboration for the manufacture of
solar panels in Nigeria to bring down the price
and deploy it to the sunlit areas of Nigeria,
especially the North that is most prolific for
irradiation. We are currently working on the
Energy Mix for Nigeria which is the
implementation process of the energy policy that
will take us there. Hopefully we will soon be
signing the first set of solar deployment
agreements for Nigeria. In this way, more solar
and hydro will be used in the North, more coal
and hydro in the Middle Belt, and more gas in
the South; so that we take power generation
closest to the most prolific source of fuel to
bring down the cost and make it more
affordable. On the trip to China (which I will
comment on) we met a few Chinese solar
manufacturers (who recognized us from Abu
Dhabi) who want to set up business of
manufacturing solar panels in Nigeria. China
Investment Forum and State Visit This is the
visit that provoked this write up, because I had
bottled what I knew. But it was time, I believe,
to share some of it. China is the second largest
economy in the world with a per capita income
of $8,000 which they are planning to raise to
$12,000 by 2020. By her own assessment,
according to President Xi Jinping, they are still a
developing nation seeking to achieve what he
described as “initial prosperity” by 2020. If you
look at the back of your phone, your TV, your
watch, your I-Pad, your Mobile Charger, many
other accessories that you use, you are likely to
find these three words “Made in China” printed
somewhere.
For such a nation, (with trillions of dollars in
reserves, that plans to spend $2 trillion on
imports in the next five years and earn $100
billion annually) who still sees itself as a
developing nation, such modesty in the face of
success, assiduous hard work and productivity is
a destination to seek cooperation in the pursuit
of economic development. This is where PMB
led an array of Nigerian investors including
Erisco Foods, (who now makes our tomato paste
at home and employs people locally including
farmers who supply the tomatoes), Power
operators (DisCos and GenCos), and the
Dangote Group, to meet with and address their
Chinese partners. During the meeting with the
Chinese President, 6 (Six) collaboration
agreements were signed including for agriculture
and food production improvement techniques,
rail and power infrastructure development, for
funding the Dangote group to continue to
expand and create jobs at home and keeping
some of our reserves in the currency of the
richest nation in the world. This last mentioned
agreement was a legitimate coup by PMB
because the intelligence was that some West
African countries were going to sign before us.
PMB seized the moment. Of course he had to
apologize for our previous failures on our
agreement made to part-fund 4 airport projects
in Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt and
Abuja-Kaduna rail project. The Chinese had
provided their agreed part of 85% but the
remaining 15% Nigeria did not honour during the
last administration. Some of the recent
revelations about financial scandals estimated at
$2.1 billion in the office of the National Security
Adviser alone during the last administration
suggest how impactful such funds would have
been in delivering these critical infrastructure ;
but we all know what happened. This is why
PMB is traveling. To repair our reputation
severely damaged by the last government, and
to assure our partners that Nigeria has
CHANGED. And from there to re-negotiate an
existing funding agreement to complete critical
Transport infrastructure. Because of his
reputation, President Xi Jinping believed him, and
to quote him, he said: “It is better late than
never. ” Through him China literally opened the
door to Nigeria in areas of infrastructure (power,
railways and roads), agriculture, education and
manufacturing especially in our Free Trade
Zones. To paraphrase the Chinese President,
“ask us for whatever support or partnership and
we will be happy to respond.” “We wish to see
you take your rightful place and we are happy
that you are the first African president visiting
China, after my visit to Africa last year to pledge
a $60 billion support for the Development of the
continent.” If this was not initiative I doubt what
is? As for the trips to Paris, COP 21 and the
USA, Nuclear Security Summit, I will only say
this: a) The threat of climate change, global
warming, desertification in the north of Nigeria
and coastal erosion in the Atlantic (Bar beach in
Lagos) and in the south, affecting Rivers,
Bayelsa and other coastal states, the clear
scientific evidence lays the blame at the door of
the world’s most industrialized nation for their
pollution. b) Since the Kyoto protocol they have
paid lip service to remedying the situation, which
unfortunately affects developing nations more
adversely. c) COP 21 was the first serious
commitment that these leaders made to ensure
that global temperatures do not rise above 2°C
and indeed are reduced to 1.5°C. I am proud
that Nigeria was not missing at this historic
moment. When the planet is saved, the next and
future generations of Nigerians will recall that
PMB was present, when all of the world leaders
were present to save the planet. d) In the
aftermath of COP 21, the commitment of these
nations is to increase production and technology
for renewable energy and to reduce the use of
carbon fuels. One way they plan to achieve this
is increased deployment of nuclear energy. e)
These nations are at the cusp of sharing safe
nuclear technology for peaceful uses with
developing nations for power generation. This
for me was reason enough and a good one at
that for PMB to be in the USA because Nigeria
has been pursuing a nuclear power program for
about 17 years, not as an alternative to gas or
Hydro, but as additions to them. The world
leaders must trust you for you to partake. At
that summit, in the group photograph, PMB
stood on the second row along side Britain and
Turkey. In the past, we used to be on the last
row. This is CHANGE. As he meets with world
leaders outside Africa, he has not forgotten the
home front. He is regularly visiting and receiving
his sister and brother presidents on the African
continent. PMB has earned their trust for all of
us and I am proud to carry my green passport.
Yes, some results are not yet manifest, and may
take a little while to do so, but a solid
foundation for a sustainable, respectable and
prosperous future is being laid, block by block.
This is how to build a solid “home” from whence
we can project respect abroad with confidence.
How many of us will do business with total
strangers without a reference or a good
reputation in this age of due diligence? PMB is
building affiliations everywhere that if well-
managed in future, will develop into a global
network of friendships, trust and respect for
Nigeria and Nigerians. I once heard that the role
of a leader, like that of the head of a family, is
that of an aggregator, opening doors and
opportunities, breaking down barriers and
forging alliances. I agree. This is my Takeaway
on these trips.
Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
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