it isn't historic, but i certainly like that jonathan is making wise use of the time spent there - from townhall meetings, to world bank meetings with requests concerning power and infrastructure. he's probably the most useful and time efficient leader we've had in 20 years. not to mention he speaks like he's got a brain in the head on his shoulders.

@iceblue
I agree with u
but let Obama too return the visit

Beats me the way most nigerians think. Don't see any big deal about GJ meeting obama.
Some bloke says it gives him legitimacy.Funniest thing i've read today. Wasn't it the same rigged elections that made him VP? Very twisted way of reasoning.
I'll only support GJ if he can deliver.

i actually don't give a piss whether obama comes to nigeria or not.

oh and in addition to that list up there, asking obama that nigeria be removed from the list of countries under 'special observation'.

even BBC announced Jonathan visit to obama as if it was the only good news on the plannet.

what am smelling is this, nigeria have be tagged with corruption all over the world, bbc and others are suprise that nigeria is still remembered by usa and others continent for such a timely summit.

it is not the journalist faults but to clear our image from among corrupt countries of the world that is why the anouncement is so loud.

after the meeting watch out US governement will be working with nigeria govement to get peace in nigeria, or stop the amnesty programme and restore peace to niger delta, or divid the country into 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.

what did u thing? remember 2015 prediction from USA. what is ur view?

When Yaradua did not invited, and nigeria was not among the nation obama visited in the past. You guys complained that Yaradua was incapable. Now Jonathan is recognized by All nations you are still complaining. I don't know when you poeple will wake up and acknowledge God goodness in Nigeria. Lets pray for God to give Jonathan the Grace to carry this nation forward

Ben-10:

The only interesting part of the visit is the POWER Crisis solution Mr Goodluck seeks from the USA and World Bank.

Every other things about the visit is normal. All Nigerian president has visited American leaders during their time and vice visa.

. . . oh. . . so there IS something different about the visit after all,
just the little matter of calling it HISTORIC bothers folks.

Instructive.

Did someone say Yar Adua wasn't invited?
Cor Blimey!

Ones upon a time early last year, Yar Adua was invited to the US for some meeting with other heads of state but dude went to Saudi Arabia to open a Secondary school.

Na so we dey forget things??

Was great great for this Nation cheers

i dont know why people seem to be so naive, what interest will the west have in nigeria except they see to it that you have a leader like Jonathan that can easily be manipulated to have full control over the nigerian oil. It's purely their selfish interest they have been protecting and they will continue to protect at all cost even at the detriment of their preys like nigeria.

Houze watz d probability of being Dr Goodluck 2011 Nigerian president? Coz Maradona shows interest and Gudlok's God & Biological father endorsed him. Just balance d equation urselves. I pity Nigerians!

From Travelista

Meeting with the leader of the free world grants Jonathan's government legitimacy; Yar'Adua is technically irrelevant as far as the world stage is concerned.

Hey, that was an intelligent take, absolutely fantastic and well thought. Infact , i should ask 'which school did you attend ?'

Kudos to your lecturers.




@Duality

You are too funny,

anyway, now I believe, Obama is from Bayelsa

I don't know what why so many heavy haters flood nairaland. Goodluck visited obama,everybody is complaining.What else do nairalanders want

Ikengawo:

^yeah.

africans have a hard time grasping the concept of interest. they think there's good guys and bad guys it seems or just everyone is good. they dont know the reason, sole reason, the west developes is to is can dominate something else and not be dominated by another

africans seem to think the purpose of development is to create jobs.
if only you knew the mentality of these white ppl you're dealing with, you'd be appauled

It is quite sad. Goodluck visits US and everybody is happy, do they seriously think US is there to protect our interests? Heaven helps those who helps themselves.
We have to protect our interests ourselves. A question to ask is what if the US interests goes against our own, what happens?

nairalander!!! it shows how skewed our thought process are,

nobody says that goodluck visit to obama was the holy grail,

it just that its been a yl that we have seen our president travelling outside the shores of this country and be seen amongst the commity of nations.

instead what we had was that mallam jetting to saudi

by the way, those that are complaining that goodluck should avoid hobnobbin with obama, wud you rather he be with the russians or the saudis?

Jonathan is the first nigerian president to meet the first afro american president (OBAMA) is that not historic enough? it shows acceptance by the us . Wetin yaradua no fit do, jonathan done do am.

Kobojunkie:


ROFLMAO!!!

The way we connect things willy-nilly ehn? lol

How in the world does this visit, or any visit give him legitimacy? How can anyone make that conclusion? Let me guess, the visit of the US envoy to minna also gave Babangida legitimacy? ROFLMAO!!

You can't be serious if you can compare an envoy meeting with IBB and Jonathan and Obama meeting. Political legitimacy is important for Jonathan right now and he has it; how are you confused by that considering that he's been under fire from Yar'Adua supporters?

Travelista:

You can't be serious if you can compare an envoy meeting with IBB and Jonathan and Obama meeting. Political legitimacy is important for Jonathan right now and he has it; how are you confused by that considering that he's been under fire from Yar'Adua supporters?

The only reason Jonathan is there and not Yar adua is because yar adua is indisposed/incapacitated. If yar adua was still awake at this time, he would have been the one going for the trip. Stop making claims of political legitimacy where it does not apply. The man became politically legitimate the moment the Nigerian people accepted him as Acting President. He does not need a meeting in Washington with other leaders of the world, which happens to be hosted by the US to be politically legitimate.

Kobojunkie:

The only reason Jonathan is there and not Yar adua is because yar adua is indisposed/incapacitated. If yar adua was still awake at this time, he would have been the one going for the trip. Stop making claims of political legitimacy where it does not apply. The man became politically legitimate the moment the Nigerian people accepted him as Acting President. He does not need a meeting in Washington with other leaders of the world, which happens to be hosted by the US to be politically legitimate.

No, the reason Jonathan is in D.C. is because he's the recognized President of Nigeria. No one cares if Yar'Adua is incapacitated or not because business has to go on; he's President in name only and that's just out of respect. Whether the Nigerian people accepted Jonathan or not would have made no difference; there are laws in place that dictate Jonathan would have assumed power. He's been accepted as the LEADER of Nigeria and not a subordinate; Yar'Adua being awake or AWOL doesn't mean a thing as GJ's government has been accepted by other administrations.

@ OP
because we once had a president who avoided visiting the American president.

Even if you send Jonathan on a refresher course on leadership to the White House,we still don't have the 10,000 megawatts and jobs that we deserve.Don't be deceived,our president only went to assure Obama that his pressing energy needs-in the face of tougher sanctions on Iran-will continue to be met and nothing more.

otukpo:

@ OP
because we once had a president who avoided visiting the American president.

Haba Otukpo!

Intellectually speaking, kindly explain how a president meeting another president (a colleague), becomes somewhat a landmark event to be celebrated as historic.

This is a sovereign country for God's sake & not a colony of The U.S. (or U.K not anymore). The president is[b] only[/b] legitimize by the electorate (and this has taken place).

So, wipe off that slave mentality/Inferiority complex/ "U.S is our masah" illusion from your consciousness.

there is no big deal about obama, just like what Fela said " uniform na cloth na tailor dey sew "

I guess if Nigeria is one of the 47 countries invited to take a stand at the nuclear security summit in Washington it is historic!

I wonder how many times 9ja has been called in to be a part (even if only to make up the numbers) of such high profile summit.

You better start believing in your strategic importance as a country. If they want to exploit us as many of you say, our leaders should be aware of that and be prepared to get something(s) back that can benefit the nation. You need to open your hand to receive.

The spin can be put on this in anyway you want. If it bothers you that it gets so much airtime, turn off the TV/radio or just log on to facebook.

Let us celebrate small victories and stop being so hard on ourselves.

It is as historic as African’s inferior mentality that equates to stupidity that never could be cured.

na wa o, so naija don yamutu sotey ordinary visit of our president as one among over 42 presidents invited to washington na big achievement.

he he he he he

@AIRDIG

You are seriously missing the point. We had, yes had, a president who went AWOL while events that could have drawn his country into a war was brewing. Unlike the mouthings our leaders embarked on after that very serious event Ag. President Jonathan's visit says to the world, yes we have our problems but we are not about to join some crazy people's war against the US. More effective than words don't you think. It says, we indeed have people who can and would behave like leaders in our midst. That is the message of the Ag. President's visit.

I feel sorry that one has to explain the significance of this visit and worldwide display to some people in the context of the events of the past few months. I guess if someone from another country tries the same nonsense in Nigeria's airspace we would simply behave like nothing happened?

You said:

This is a sovereign country for God's sake & not a colony of The U.S. (or U.K not anymore). The president is[b] only[/b] legitimize by the electorate (and this has taken place).
So, wipe off that slave mentality/Inferiority complex/ "U.S is our masah" illusion from your consciousness.

Can you point me to a country whose president recognizes his nation's sovereignty that would do what Yar'adua and his cohorts did, and continue to do. When our leaders start behaving like mature adults, talkless of real leaders, nobody is going to deny the sovereignty of our nation. Right now, they are treating us worse than a colony of the US or UK - we are colonized by their megalomaniac views of themselves, and by their pockets.

AIRDIG:

Haba Otukpo!

Intellectually speaking, kindly explain how a president meeting another president (a colleague), becomes somewhat a landmark event to be celebrated as historic.

This is a sovereign country for God's sake & not a colony of The U.S. (or U.K not anymore). The president is[b] only[/b] legitimize by the electorate (and this has taken place).

So, wipe off that slave mentality/Inferiority complex/ "U.S is our masah" illusion from your consciousness.

@iceblue
I agree with you that there is nothing historic about the visit, but its significance was dictated by the events of the last few months.

Isn't it nice that the Ag. President made all these speeches? It would be nice if our leaders recognize the importance of communicating at a personal level with the Nigerian people. I am not talking about those archaic, listen up nationwide broadcasts, but rather daily event briefings and policy dialogue with the Nigerian people.

iceblue:

it isn't historic, but i certainly like that jonathan is making wise use of the time spent there - from townhall meetings, to world bank meetings with requests concerning power and infrastructure. he's probably the most useful and time efficient leader we've had in 20 years. not to mention he speaks like he's got a brain in the head on his shoulders.

Kobojunkie:

The only reason Jonathan is there and not Yar adua is because yar adua is indisposed/incapacitated. If yar adua was still awake at this time, he would have been the one going for the trip. Stop making claims of political legitimacy where it does not apply. The man became politically legitimate the moment the Nigerian people accepted him as Acting President. He does not need a meeting in Washington with other leaders of the world, which happens to be hosted by the US to be politically legitimate.

This  really is a succint analysis of the whole matter. I don't know why some  people here jus de yarn opaks.

there is nothing special about it, it is another way of wasting public funds

nna ah na waoo,  why do nigerians like to spend money we no get value in the name of visit
i nd i am surprise ooo,  is it to tell us that his the next president may be ooooo. cheer god forgive us bye