Confirmation has come that President
Muhammmadu Buhari will be going to America this
month. This going to America should not only be
different from that of the African prince portrayed
by Eddie Murphy, it should be different from that
which marked both the beginning of the Yar’Adua and Jonathan presidencies. This going to America
for an ailing nation of great potential must be a
concrete effort at forging partnerships in pursuit of
the great goal of the Great Escape from misery for
the biggest concentration of the people of Africa
descent. Going to America has always been a matter laced
with Irony. As a young youth corps member
reporting for the Newbreed newsmagazine some
38 years ago, I wrote a story that pointed to Army
Intellectual, Olusegun Obasanjo, criticising African
leaders journeying to America. As head of state then, Obasanjo had evidently forgotten his old
quips, and was preparing for a journey to America. I have never thought of going to America a
problem. The mindset of “America their America”
offered by one of our literary giants was not my
own frame. What my concern always was and
remains the issue for this visit, is, how to go beyond
ceremonials and photo opps to handshakes that produce mutually beneficial outcomes. For the US
and Nigeria this has to include in today’s context a
boosting of capacity for security and economic
advancement in Nigeria and trade opportunities
with new markets for American products where
there is comparative advantage that does not depress prospects for sustainable development in a
country of prospects. With security problems in Nigeria’s North-East
threatening efforts to reduce the scourge of
poverty, disease, and a brutish state of nature, a
huge infrastructure deficit, financing gaps that have
left even salaries unpaid for months, partnerships
with foreign powers need be obsessively focused on relationships that can help bridge gaps and
uplift the Nigerian condition. In this regard, I am persuaded that with we, as
Nigeria, should unveil a clear national strategy
anchored on latent comparative advantage based
on select factor endowments in which value chains
in which we are quite competitive are developed
into global markets. With the Chinese understanding of the benefits of industrial policy in
building such values chains, we should not be shy
to do infrastructure deals around industrial parks
with them. In the same way, opportunities for
partnerships with the South Koreans, Japanese and
with the Australians in mining and road infrastructure should not be allowed to slip by. With
the Americans, so much can be done with power,
services, technology and education. We need to
expand our fast growing education and health
sectors. With so many Nigerians of the Diaspora
active in the US in these areas, the trip should be used to build bridges. We just saw reports of a
meeting of Nigerian physicians in the US which took
place in Orlando Florida. We should tag into that to
be a medical tourism hub. What a visit such as this must do is provide the
opportunity for President Buhari to find that one
quiet moment to provide assurance of lasting
goodwill if specific support with arms, equipment
and intelligence to accelerate ending the
insurgency, is offered. A clear shopping list is helpful and a pointer to an appropriate desk officer
to serve as a clearing house should be determined.
We should neither play the subservient with a
begging nor our protocol laced meeting of equal
sovereigns, friends don’t ask who is bigger. They
know. We miss much running around at the highest levels
with much concerns when the ambassador can
court the right desk officer and get things moving.
If President Buhari can convey the warmth of
friendship, passion, and selfless giving of self for
the good of a country that has been unfairly treated, he could get a useful nod from President
Barack Obama that his people can work with. He
needs to have a few of those critical people with
him. He must not leave the impression the ones
before him left, that there is no capacity or interest
in making promises bear fruit. Our failure to profit from the African Growth and Opportunities Act is a
case in point. In that sense, an opportunity to thank Obama for
the Power Up Africa initiative with specific requests
for how it can help reduce the darkness of our
patch of earth at night and put many to work, so
Boko Haram will find it harder to find recruits
should be clearly stated. Here, it will be nice to nicely apologise for our tardiness with AGOA, and
pledge that in the spirit of change and new
beginnings in Nigeria, the economy of Nigeria will
be more engaged with an AGOA extension. President Buhari will profit much from elevating the
tone by showing resolve to wholeheartedly fight
corruption. America helps with tracking and
repatriating money stolen from the Nigerian
people. This should be requested. If change is to result in dividends for the Nigerian
people, President Buhari’s visit to Washington must
not be a visit from the leftovers. It must be worked
at so it becomes a journey into a welcoming mat for
a strategic partner. When President Jimmy Carter’s
1977 world tour that would have brought him from Europe into Africa was terminated in Europe,
due to urgent developments at home, a
rescheduling was done. On resumption in 1978,
the visit to Nigeria was dubbed, by one of America’s
newsmagazines, as “Carter’s journey to the
leftovers.” We owe it to our children that this visit to Washington not to be seen as another visit from the
leftovers



About the author: Utomi, political economist and professor of entrepreneurship, is founder of the
Centre for Values in Leadership

cc seun lalasticlala ishilove bigfrancis21

BABAGOWELL

That Eddie Murphy intro though. lol

He said everything that needs to be said.I hope he forwarded a copy of this wonderful piece to PMB.

Nigeria needs men like Utomi to reach Eldorado.

INTROVERT:

Busted!! Introvert is the queen of space bookers.

i suppose read this thing?