Friday, April 1, 2016

If President Buhari Wrote Americans

To remove a fly from a friend's forehead, never use a hatchet.
                                       African Proverb.

 Dear Citizens of United States of America,
I have taken this unusual step to write to you directly as citizens of the United States of American on behalf of the people of Nigeria. I hope  that this message will strengthen the bonds between citizens of two countries with major responsibilities for the state of our increasingly interdependent  world. I also draw confidence from the knowledge that your leaders will view this friendly intrusion in a positive light, particularly in the light of recent developments in our relations when we also received direct and useful advise and messages of solidarity and encouragement from leaders of your great country.
I address you at a time when Nigerians nurture very warm and positive memories of the role of the government and citizens of the United States. We cherish the historic support of your government in ensuring that our last elections made history in many respects, being the most peaceful in our history, producing a credible result and the unprecedented defeat of an administration. The US stood by the people of Nigeria, Africa’s largest democracy, to break a vicious circle of rigged elections that produced incompetent and insensitive leaders. We owe your nation immeasurable gratitude for helping our nation to safely cross over a critical set of challenges, and today our two nations collaborate on the search for an end to a most vicious insurgency because we have earned global trust. At this moment, we share with you the search for global security and peace and a world that shares its wealth and reduces want and desperation.
Your nation had stood and marched with Africa during most of its trying moments. We have told many of our younger generations of your record in assisting our decolonization and anti-Apartheid struggles. Your businesses and governments have reached out to our enterprenuers and our communities, investing and participating in developing our productive capacities. Our nation has the biggest economy in Africa, and is one of the leading trading partners of the US. We see US economic interests in all sectors of our economy, and the growth and development of our two economies have become intricately linked with each others’ fortunes. The US is home and residence to one of the largest black and African populations in the world, and your nation is home to millions of Nigerians contributing to your economy, while representing a tremendous asset to our nation.
As you will be aware, your presidential elections scheduled to hold in November, 2016 are of immense significance to the world. Nigeria and Africa have very high expectations that this election will raise the bar for democratic governance already at a level your nation should be proud of. Your current President is son of an African student, a great American whom you voted into office on his merit. His election for two terms earned you new respect in Africa. You will therefore appreciate why we expect that the President who succeeds him will continue to inspire Africa and the world. 
Nigerians watch the processes leading to the emergence of candidates and the elections themselves with interests that are far more profound than curiousity. Given our history and experiences with political violence and tendencies which detract from free and fair elections, we are anxious that your elections will be conducted without violence or other acts that will damage your credentials as a leading democratic nation. We worry when a candidate threatens that his supporters will riot if he fails to win nomination. We agonize over allegations over delegates-tampering. We are concerned over rhetoric that offends sensitivities and charts a course that is entirely inconsistent with the history and records of the United States in international relations.
Nigerians have labored for a long stretch of our history  to produce leaders on the basis of credible elections. This has imposed upon us the obligation to respect the rights of all people to freely elect leaders. Ultimately, the next President of the United States will be the product only of your collective will. As friends with a major stake in the manner the United State relates with the world, however, it is our duty to offer advise on some issues that are likely to affect the outcome of the contest. Nigerians share with United State citizens a major burden in the fight against global terror, a substantial element of which claims to draw inspiration from Islam. Our contribution to all the contests currently under way is to advise against creating more enemies for the United State and the rest of the world by making terrorist monsters out of every Muslim. The world’s Muslim population is overwhelmingly opposed to terror. An enlightened and constructive approach with all peoples, faiths and nations is central to the ability of the US and other nations of the world to overcome this global threat, and avoid alienating critical allies.
There are concerns in Nigeria that the large population of our citizens in the US are being singled out and portrayed in very negative light in some debates and campaigns. Remarks which hint at limiting gains and opportunities arising from global movement of labour and capital are being noted with some concern here in Nigeria and Africa. At a time when the world is having to adjust to severe economic challenges, these sentiments fail to do justice to a United States that has led the world through solving many of its limiting challenges. On the whole, we share the concerns of billions of people across the globe who are uncomfortable with prospects of a U.S that will create its own space without due respect and regards for friends and allies, as well as the possibility that hostile interests will respond in a manner that makes the world a lot less secure, competitive and compassionate.
As you will know, Nigeria is going through a major transition. It is a year since our historic elections which gave our nation renewed confidence that we can change its course on the strength of its own people and the support of our friends. We are involved in charting a course for a future in which accountable leadership is the norm; corruption is removed from public offices; the poor share in the wealth of our tremendous national resources, and the wealthy are safe to enjoy their wealth. We are making major strides to destroy the Boko Haram insurgency. Our plans are affected by challenging economic fortunes in the short term, but we have a vision of a great future in which our productive capacities and processes for sharing our wealth will be isolated from massive dislocations and uncertainties.
As Nigerians, we cherish our deep relationships with citizens of the United States on many levels. We have faith in the capacity of citizens of the United State to exercise choices that best suit their interests. These interests include the manner our world operates, as well as the global perception that as a global leader, a future President of the United State will represent the best and most noble of the democratic traditions of the United States.
On behalf of the people of Nigeria, I wish you very peaceful congresses and elections.

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