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Clinton praises the 'new Nigeria'
©New York Times, published August 27, 2000 ABUJA, Nigeria -- President Clinton began a four-day trip to Africa on Saturday, arriving in the capital of Nigeria to help support the shaky transition of Africa's most populous country to civilian rule after 16 years of entrenched military dictatorship. Clinton was greeted at the airport by President Olusegun Obasanjo, a former general who was elected in a peaceful transition 15 months ago after the death of the country's longtime military ruler. It was the second face-to-face meeting between Clinton and the Nigerian leader, and the first visit by an American president to Nigeria since Jimmy Carter arrived here in 1978. In his lengthy tour of Africa two years ago, Clinton pointedly bypassed Nigeria, a clear snub to the generals who were leading the country then perilously close to collapse. But this time Nigeria is the focal point of his three-nation tour as the administration tries to nudge along a difficult transformation of this important oil-producing nation. After an elaborate arrival ceremony early Saturday morning that featured song and dance, and a private meeting at the presidential villa with Obasanjo, Clinton spoke on Saturday to the National Assembly, a body created shortly after Obasanjo won election. "I begin this visit with enormous admiration for the progress you have made and the highest hopes for the progress you will make in the future," Clinton said after his meeting with Obasanjo, who stood by his side. He called it a "high honor to visit the new Nigeria and to pledge American support to the most important democratic transition since the fall of apartheid." In their brief appearance before reporters, Clinton, wearing a dark suit with a bright red tie, and Obasanjo, wearing the customary Nigerian flowing robe called an agbada, touched on the major priorities of the visit: peacekeeping in Africa, the fight against AIDS and the economics of oil. Clinton plans to announce a series of aid packages for Nigeria that would go beyond the $108-million that the United States currently gives to the country. The assistance is intended for education, disease prevention and roads. Obasanjo promised to push for lower or at least more stable oil prices when he attends a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries next month that will include heads of government of the 10 countries that participate in the cartel. In their initial meeting, Clinton encouraged Nigeria to do what it could to push other OPEC nations to increase production and bring prices down. The presidential visit is intended to encourage Nigerians to stick with democracy despite continuing problems with poverty, corruption and ethnic strife in a nation that Sandy Berger, the president's national security adviser, called the "poorest oil-rich country in the world." Nigeria, despite its chaotic past, remains one of the continent's wealthiest states and the economic and political powerhouse of its region. With one-quarter of the population of all of sub-Saharan Africa and significant oil resources, the country is viewed by the United States as a potentially stabilizing force amid the chaos in much of Africa. Nigeria has spent $10-billion on peacekeeping over the last decade in more than two dozen different missions, American officials said. But its military is known for its human rights abuses, including summary executions of rebels and rebel supporters. The two presidents also plan to discuss how to improve Nigeria's notoriously inefficient and inequitable oil production system, which sends millions of barrels to the United States and other countries but cannot seem to supply its local gas stations. During his visit, Clinton will announce U.S. assistance for education and disease prevention, in addition to an aid package that has shot up from $7-million to $108-million as the country has instituted reforms over the last two years. The two leaders are also expected to address some of the other issues at the top of Africa's agenda: debt relief, the fight against infectious diseases and the ongoing conflicts in Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. "This is a make-or-break transition, not just for Nigeria, but for Africa," Berger said before the trip began. "If Nigeria succeeds, this can help lift the whole region to prosperity and peace. If it fails, it can swamp the whole region in turmoil and misery." From Nigeria, Clinton heads to Tanzania, where he will support the efforts of former South African President Nelson Mandela to broker a peace deal between warring Hutu and Tutsi in Burundi. Clinton will wind up his trip Tuesday with a stop in Cairo. In Nigeria, Clinton's host has himself undergone something of a transformation. A former general, Obasanjo headed the military government after Gen. Murtala Muhammad was assassinated in 1976. But he handed over power to a civilian president in 1979, and spoke out so vocally against corruption and military rule that a later ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha, jailed him. Clinton will see little of Nigeria beyond Abuja, the capital. The president will venture out only once during his two-day stay, to a village that was being buffed and polished for his visit. Some 70 percent of Nigerians live in such villages, and aides said Clinton was eager to talk to residents about the day-to-day challenges of their lives.
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