The President has written a rejoinder to the Foreign Affairs magazine over a publication titled ‘The Giant of Africa Is Failing Only Nigeria Can Save Itself—but the United States Can Help’ written by John Campbell and Robert I. Rotberg
In the article, John Campbell and Robert I. Rotberg claimed that Nigeria is a failing state following the insecurity that the country is facing on all fronts
‘Nigeria is in big trouble. If a state’s first obligation to those it governs is to provide for their security and maintain a monopoly on the use of violence, then Nigeria has failed, even if some other aspects of the state still function.’ the article stated.
The Presidency in a statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), Garba Shehu on Thursday said that the article ‘is unfair both to a magazine with such an esteemed pedigree and to its readers’.
The government of Nigeria also warned that ‘facts should not be bent to support distorted opinions’ adding that President Muhammadu Buhari did not ask for the movement of AFRICOM to Nigeria when he met with Secretary Blinken.
The Presidency further said that it is a surprise, and a disappointment, to see Foreign Affairs join politically motivated lobbies as it lamented that Ambassador Campbell has been predicting the collapse of Nigeria for several years. He is of course entitled to his opinions, even where events consistently prove him wrong.
RE: GIANT OF AFRICA IS FALLING: STATING THE FACTS
Please find below the response of the Presidency to the publication in Foreign Affairs magazine that appeared in the current edition as sent to the publishers:
Dear Sir,
The latest article on Nigeria in Foreign Affairs titled ‘The Giant of Africa is Failing’ is unfair both to a magazine with such an esteemed pedigree and to its readers.
Ambassador Campbell has been predicting the collapse of Nigeria for several years. He is of course entitled to his opinions, even where events consistently prove him wrong.
But facts should not be bent to support distorted opinions.
Let me give you one example.
The authors write:
‘At an April meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Buhari reportedly requested that the headquarters of the U.S. Africa Command be moved from Germany to Nigeria so that it would be closer to the fight against jihadi groups in the country’s north.’
President Buhari did not request that AFRICOM move to Nigeria. The transcript of the call with Secretary Blinken is available on the State Department’s own website.
It’s not just a question of the invented addition of ‘to Nigeria’ with regard to AFRICOM. It sums up a piece that attempts – subtly but revealingly – to shift facts to suit an argument.
Nigeria faces multiple challenges, not least of which is the dissemination of fake news and prejudiced opinion.
This is something we have come to expect from partisan blogs and politically motivated lobbies. It is still a surprise, and a disappointment, to see them joined by Foreign Affairs.
Yours sincerely,
Part of the article reads:
‘Nigeria is in big trouble. If a state’s first obligation to those it governs is to provide for their security and maintain a monopoly on the use of violence, then Nigeria has failed, even if some other aspects of the state still function. Criminals, separatists, and Islamist insurgents increasingly threaten the government’s grip on power, as do rampant corruption, economic malaise, and rising poverty.
Most failed states in Africa—such the Central African Republic, Somalia, and South Sudan—are small or marginal; Nigeria, by contrast, boasts a growing population of 214 million. It is expected to become the world’s third-largest country by population by 2050. And prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had Africa’s largest economy or its second-largest after South Africa (depending on how one measures). That is why state failure in Nigeria is having profound consequences for the entire region—and beyond. It bodes especially ill for the stability and well-being of weak states in Nigeria’s vicinity, as evidenced by the spread of jihadi and criminal groups to Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Niger.’
