International interest in Nigeria’s
political transition and the
planned transfer of power from
the Jonathan-Sambo presidency
to the Buhari-Osinbajo
presidency billed for May 29 has
risen in the United States as
President Barack Obama now
considers sending a high-
powered U.S. delegation to the
event, officials said Wednesday.
U.S. government sources said Mr.
Obama is considering who might
lead the American
representatives to the event.
Besides, at least two US Ivy
universities-Harvard and Yale –
have since held special review
sessions where scholars were
invited from around the U.S. and
the world to give lectures and
seminars on the outcome of the
Nigerian elections, focusing on
the emergence of a former
military head of state, who is a
Muslim from the North of Nigeria,
and a Christian pastor, who is a
law professor from the South as
president-elect and vice
president-elect respectively.
Three names are already being
mentioned in official U.S. and
diplomatic circles including
Obama’s wife, the American First
Lady, Michelle, Vice President Joe
Biden and the Secretary of State,
John Kerry, as the head of the
presidential delegation. From the
U.S. Congress also, some of the
senior members are said to be
planning to attend the event
including the Chairman of the US
House of Representatives Sub
Committee on Africa,
Congressman Chris Smith.
The U.S. President normally
announces a delegation to the
presidential inaugurations of
friendly nations being led by the
Ambassador in that country. But
in rare occasions, he picks very
senior public officials as the head
of delegation when he wants to
underscore and emphasis a
point of how the US highly
regards the country or the
circumstances at a given point in
time.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U.S.,
Ade Adefuye, said, “I have been
told that there would be an
unusually large American
delegation that will attend the
presidential inauguration on May
29″.
He confirmed to journalists on
Wednesday that he has also been
told that a very senior member of
the U.S. government is expected
to lead the delegation, but that
there was no confirmation yet.
The Nigerian Ambassador said
he has been in consultations
with the U.S. State Department on
the matter, adding that President
Goodluck Jonathan has already
extended an invitation to the U.S.
government.
“We are following up with the US
government to ensure a very
large US presence at the
inauguration,” the Ambassador
said Tuesday in Washington DC.
Mr. Adefuye explained that
“Nigeria’s profile has been on the
rise since after the election, the
concession by Jonathan, and
with the smooth transition that
is going on”.
From the U.S. government to the
business sectors and think tanks,
the level of excitement about the
anticipated peaceful transfer of
power in Nigeria and the
outcome of the elections itself
producing the Buhari-Osinbajo
ticket from an opposition party,
APC, has been quite widespread.
Some of the U.S. groups that have
been showing keen interest to
attend the inauguration and
pressuring the U.S. government
to send a very high-powered
delegation are the Atlantic
Council, and the Constituency for
Africa-groups known to be very
influential in Washington DC.
A U.S. State Department source
noted that after the elections,
feelers were sent out to business
groups, think tanks on interests
in attending the Nigerian
inauguration, and the “feedback
has been very encouraging,” said
the source.
At the Yale University over the
weekend, a group of
theologians-the Oxford Study
Group on World Christianity had
their annual meeting and
participants disclosed that the
Nigerian election was one of the
major discussions this year.
A top U.S. Professor who
attended the meeting said the
Study Group composed of
leading scholars from around the
world who considered it
significant that the Nigerian
elections produced a Pentecostal
pastor as Vice President to a
Moslem, who had earlier been
perceived not to be religiously
pluralistic. Last month also, the
Washington Post had published a
report on its faith pages on
“How a Pentecostal Law
Professor Has Helped Reshape
Nigerian Politics.”
Earlier Harvard Africa-American
Program had also held an
academic review session on the
Nigerian election further
revealing how widely significant
the issue has become here in the
US.
www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/182514-obama-to-send-high-powered-delegation-to-buharis-inauguration.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

The rate at which USA is showing interest in Nigeria is quite alarming. I hope we are not been sold into slavery indirectly

onyi4edu:
The rate at which USA is showing interest in Nigeria is quite alarming. I hope we are not been sold into slavery indirectly

They hate, they love. They play no part and then later show concern, i just don't understand their schemes.

As long as its in the best interest of Nigeria