As Nigeria marks 100 years of the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, predicts a bright future for the country.
Some Nigerians perceive the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates as a curse, while others say it has been a blessing; what is your view?
I will leave that question to Nigerians. My opinion is that the centenary celebration was an excellent event. We celebrated 100 years of what has become a vibrant power house in Africa. It was a splendid occasion and we were delighted to participate.
How do you feel coming to Nigeria to serve as ambassador?
Oh! I feel like the luckiest man in the U.S foreign service. It is a tremendous assignment. When I started my career as a diplomat 33 years ago in Cameroon, I never dreamt I will be an ambassador to a major strategic partner like Nigeria. It is a tremendous assignment. I am very happy to be here.
Some Nigerians are calling for the split of the country; does it make sense to you?
I don’t understand why that question keeps coming up. This is a strong, vibrant nation; I can’t imagine that it will split. It is a silly idea that at some point, some US government officials said it would split in 2015. Nobody ever said that. I think Nigeria is a strong and wonderful country and we look forward as the country marches into a bright future with the US at your side.
Some Nigerians, especially politicians, blame the country’s woes on the alleged poor foundation laid during the amalgamation. Would you agree with them?
I think I would leave that to the historians. But I think one of the things the two countries have in common is that we have both suffered serious civil wars. We both have recovered from our civil wars. So, we understand that we are building trust and we are building a nation after civil wars. It is a serious, painstaking business and I think both of our countries have done very well. We have both managed to rebuild vibrant countries in the wake of devastating civil wars.
How will you describe the relationship between the two countries?
It is fantastic. We have a huge strategic partnership. We just had our bi-national commission meeting in Abuja. We have a huge partnership in almost every area like health, education, security assistance, trade and investment. This is part of my responsibilities. By partnership, I mean the US is ready to do anything for Nigeria. We are ready to do things with Nigeria as two partners working to make the world a better place.
Are you satisfied with the volume of trade, cultural and other relationships between Nigeria and your country?
I don’t think one can ever be satisfied with something like that. There is always room for growth and improvement. The cultural ties between our two countries are fantastic. In terms of trade now, most Nigerian goods going to the US are oil; we are looking for ways to help Nigerians to diversify and get other products to the US. This is a huge market for the US. Procter and Gamble, one of our biggest companies, is opening a plant soon in Ogun State. So, there is a lot of good stuff going on the trade and investment front.
What can be done to improve on our relationships?
I’m not sure we need improvement. It seems to me we get along well, we talk on all sorts of issues. We already have a strategic partnership. But that is something that is like a flower, you have to keep watering it and hoping it will grow. That is what I am committed to doing.
The US says it is determined to press Nigeria to reverse the anti-gay law. Are we expecting sanctions?
Look, there is lot of confusion on this. The issue of same-sex marriage is controversial all over the world, including my country. In the US, I believe it is now legal in 17 or 18 states. In the other two-third of our states, it is not recognised. So, the issue of what constitutes illegal marriage in Nigeria is up to Nigerians. That is not the issue. I have found out that many Nigerians have not actually read the bill. The issues we raised are some of the restrictions in the bill on the freedom of assembly and speech, and we weighed the impact that it is beginning to have on the HIV/AIDS programmes that we support. If HIV-positive patients are now fearful of coming out to get treatments, I don’t see how that makes Nigeria a better place. It is also clear that it has been used by some as a pretext to forment violence against homosexuals and I think we can always agree that regardless of opinions on homosexuals, all Nigerians can agree that any violence against any fellow Nigerian is wrong. Finally, I think there is this widely held notion that the West wants Africa to make remake itself in our image; that is not the point at all. That is not why we are bringing this up. We are bringing this up because we believe people should be able to live their lives free from fear, discrimination and violence. That is where we are coming from on this issue.
Would the US grant asylum to homosexuals fleeing Nigeria because of the law?
I am not aware of cases like that.
What if it occurred in the future?
I don’t answer hypothetical questions.
Can you give an overview of how the US is supporting Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram?
Our position is very clear. We have a long-standing relationship between our two militaries in terms of training and assistance. A lot of training that we have provided is sort of lessons learnt because we have a lot of experiences in counter-terrorism and counter insurgencies. So, we’ve had our experts talking to your experts, not in a sense that we know everything, but in a sense that these are things that have worked for us and these are things that have not worked. Maybe, some of these lessons are relevant to the experience in Nigeria. What is absolutely clear is that the United States, as a friend and partner, wants Nigeria to win its war on terror and we are glad to help in every appropriate way.
Cameroon is reportedly not cooperating with Nigeria to fight Boko Haram…
It sounds like a good conversation for Nigeria and Cameroon to have as neighbours and long-standing friends.
What is your advice?
The general advice to everybody is that it is always good to talk to your neighbours and get along as well as you can.
Are you thinking of providing other assistance for Nigeria?
Well, it is nice to look forward to new advice. Everything we do here on counter-terrorism is in full collaboration and coordination with your government. If they have new ideas or new areas in which they need assistance, we would be glad to look at it and see what we can do. That is what friendship and partnership are all about.
What would you tell Nigerians?
Your country is a fantastic and marvellous one. It has a lot of challenges, but they are things I am absolutely confident that the Nigerian people can tackle. Nigeria has a very bright future and my country looks forward to being part of that.
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