Terence McCulley is United States (U.S.) Ambassador to Nigeria. In an e-mail interview with Assistant Editor (News) OLUKOREDE YISHAU, the envoy bares his mind on multi-lateral issues.Excerpts:

Boko Haram challenge

I think that Nigerian government faces significant challenges and that requires a multi-faceted response. We have an ongoing dialogue with the Nigerian government on this matter. Clearly, there is a significant security threat that prevails across the North. It was previously confined to Borno but we have seen attacks in Bauchi, Niger, Kano Plateau and Kaduna. This kind of insurgency requires a response by the security forces but it also requires a lot more, and I think the Nigerian government does understand that. We believe the Nigerian government needs to have a strategy which addresses these acts of violence which reassures the Northern population there is a plan to ensure their security. Our hope is the actions by the security forces will target extremists and perpetrators of violence in a way that does not inflict civilian casualties or damage properties and violate human rights. It is incumbent upon government to react with a broad-based strategy by addressing security as well as the questions of development and poverty which feed underlying grievances that can promote acts of violence.

Ministry of Northern Affairs

There are also some who say that Boko Haram is comprised mostly of non-Nigerian foreigners, and that the group is being funded by a handful of resentful politicians nursing their wounds from the last election. This would be deeply unfortunate if true, but I have not seen any evidence to support either of these theories.

To fix the Boko Haram problem, the government will have to develop a new social compact with its Northern citizens. It will have to develop an economic recovery strategy that complements its security strategy. It will have to draw on the support of Northern governors, traditional Hausa and Fulani leaders and local officials and organisations. The Nigerian government should consider creating a Ministry of Northern Affairs or a development commission similar to what it did in response to the Niger Delta crisis.

Northern populations are currently trapped between violent extremists on one hand and heavy-handed government responses on the other. They need to know that their President is going to extraordinary lengths to fix their problems.

Achieving this will not be easy. Although the problems are not the same, it has taken the central government in Abuja nearly a decade to bring the problems in the Niger Delta under some semblance of control. Resolving the problems in Northern Nigeria will require the government to act more swiftly and to make a strategic course correction. It will need to adopt a comprehensive strategy, and remain disciplined and committed to its implementation, especially at the state and local level where accountability is low and corruption high.

Despite the challenges that Nigeria faces with Boko Haram and other issues, Nigeria is simply too important to be defined by its problems. Nigeria must be defined by its promise and its enormous potential, as well as the resourcefulness of its people.

Transparency, public funds

We encourage the Nigerian Government to take steps to ensure greater transparency in the use of funds and to prosecute public officials who misuse public funds.

Petroleum subsidy

The United States supports measures by the Nigerian Government to remove the subsidy on gasoline. Further, we welcome the statements made by the Nigerian Government in January regarding reforms in the energy sector, in particular swift passage of the PIB (Petroleum Industry Bill).

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