Clinton Hails Nigeria’s Gains in Democracy

Two years after President Clinton excluded Africa’s most populous nation from his historic two-week trek through the continent, he arrived in Nigeria on Saturday to acclaim its nascent democracy and challenge its leaders to stay their course to lead all of Africa toward a better future.

Clinton emphatically stressed the importance of relations with Nigeria, the sixth-largest supplier of crude oil to the United States, and pledged support for what he called “the most important democratic transition in Africa since the fall of apartheid” in South Africa.

In May 1999, the democratically elected president, Olusegun Obasanjo, took power and launched the first civilian government after 15 years of military dictatorship.

During much of Nigeria’s 40 years of independence, corrupt leaders plundered the nation’s riches, leaving its people impoverished and saddled with a massive foreign debt, which now equals about $31 billion.

Clinton also announced that he would ask the Peace Corps to return to Nigeria to assist in improving education, health care and technology infrastructure. The Peace Corps pulled out of Nigeria in 1995, citing budget cuts.

“Nigeria is a pivot point on which all of Africa’s future turns,” Clinton told the joint assembly of Nigeria’s two legislative chambers at the start of his two-day visit to the nation.

Clinton spent the day offering praise for the positive steps Nigeria has taken while also entreating its leaders to have patience and diligence because “the whole world has a big stake” in its success.

Nigerians received Clinton with enthusiasm. As he rode into Abuja, the capital, from the airport, he was cheered by thousands of ordinary Nigerians who lined the road and waved as his entourage passed. The legislature treated him to standing ovations. And Obasanjo had so many nice things to say about the American president that his toast at a state dinner Saturday evening lasted more than 50 minutes.

Clinton focused on the many ways that the U.S. government is trying to help the new Nigeria, including urging its major creditors to reschedule its debt if the African nation abides by its economic and financial reform plans and uses the savings from the debt relief to improve the lives of its citizens. The United States carries only about 4% of Nigerian debt.

The debt issue seemed to be at the forefront for ordinary Nigerians as well as legislators. As Clinton arrived at the National Assembly, he was greeted by locals carrying posters that read “Cancel Nigeria’s Debt.”

The Clinton administration has been working with Congress to reward Nigeria in other ways for its progress. In the past two years, U.S. assistance to Nigeria skyrocketed from $7 million a year--all of that to nongovernmental organizations--to $109 million annually, which goes to programs ranging from AIDS prevention to military assistance.

In addition, Clinton brought with him $20 million in development and technical assistance, which will help alleviate a range of acute problems, from infectious diseases to child labor to an inadequate infrastructure for the country’s vast energy wealth.

After years in which Americans were warned not to fly into Nigeria, an agreement to start the first direct flights between Lagos and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was recently concluded. Also included in the package of goodies that Clinton brought with him was $3.6 million to upgrade the aviation system and privatize transportation systems.

Clinton also hoped that his trip would foster private investment by U.S. companies in Nigeria. A delegation of 60 American businesspeople joined the president in Nigeria, and the U.S. Export-Import Bank will guarantee private-sector loans in Nigeria worth up to $1.2 billion, said Susan E. Rice, assistant secretary of State for African affairs.

Clinton’s visit comes as U.S. military officials are launching a $42-million program to train Nigerian peacekeepers for regional conflicts such as the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone.

In his speech to the National Assembly, Clinton heralded the key role Nigeria has already taken to foster stability in West Africa. Nigeria has spent $10 billion and sacrificed hundreds of its soldiers’ lives for peace in its region.

The president emphasized that his trip was particularly meaningful to him because only two years ago, he had “sadly” decided not to visit Nigeria during his tour of Africa because “its illegitimate government was killing its people and squandering your resources.”

“Now, at last, you have your country back. Nigerians are electing their leaders, acting to cut corruption and investigate past abuses, shedding light on human rights violations,” Clinton said. “It is a brave beginning.”

But Nigeria’s transition has not taken place without hitches. Relations between Obasanjo and the National Assembly have been strained, with some lawmakers accusing the president of behaving as if the country still had a dictatorship.

Clinton touched this raw nerve in his address, when he praised Obasanjo as a leader who understands that government exists to serve the people, and then told the assembly members that “the struggle to build democracy depends also on you, on legislators who will be both a check on and a balance to executive authority.”

Assembly members--dressed in colorful, flowing agbadas, traditional Nigerian robes--jumped to their feet, applauded and shouted comments. Afterward, they said their energetic reaction reflected their frustrations.

Several times during the day--at the arrival ceremony, as his entourage passed the city gate and at a state dinner--Clinton was treated to energetic dances performed by colorfully dressed men and women accompanied by drum and pipe music.

At one point, a Nigerian press aide led dignitaries and Obasanjo in singing “Happy Birthday” to Clinton, who turned 54 on Aug. 19.

Today, Clinton will travel to the village of Ushafa and then will visit a women’s center in Abuja to discuss health issues, particularly the problems of infectious diseases.

During his three-day trip to Africa, Clinton also plans to visit Tanzania to bolster a peace process for war-torn Burundi, and he plans to stop in Cairo to discuss Middle East peace prospects with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.