By Editorial Board July 23 at 8: 51 PM

THIS WEEK, Washington rolled out the red
carpet for President Muhammadu Buhari of
Nigeria . Mr . Buhari ’ s invitation to the White
House came shortly after his historic victory in
the polls over embattled former president
Goodluck Jonathan in March . Not only were the
polls largely peaceful despite fears of terrorism
and electoral violence, but also Mr . Buhari ’ s
election represents the first time since Nigeria ’ s
return to democracy in 1999 that a member of
an opposition party has unseated an incumbent
candidate .

While a presidential visit to Nigeria after such a
momentous election would have sent a more
powerful signal of support for democracy in
Africa, the United States is right to show an
early and strong interest in Mr . Buhari ’ s efforts
to help Nigeria , Africa’ s most populous nation,
unlock its full potential.

It is no secret that relations between
Washington and Abuja soured under Mr .
Jonathan . He came under criticism for his
shortcomings in combating government
corruption and for his administration ’ s failures
in fighting the Islamist terrorist group Boko
Haram. Already strained military relations
between the United States and Nigeria fell to a
new low late last year when the Nigerian armed
forces abruptly canceled joint training in
reaction to U. S. reluctance to provide military
helicopters .

Mr . Buhari ’ s populist image , military
background and reputation for being tough on
corruption helped him gain the support of
voters and has engendered cautious optimism
in Washington . So far , Mr . Buhari, a retired
major general , has been saying the right things .
He already has taken steps that could help push
the fight against Boko Haram in the right
direction . He announced the movement of the
headquarters of the armed services to the
northeastern part of Nigeria , which faces the
most direct threat from Boko Haram . He fired
and replaced several high - ranking military
officials left over from the Jonathan
administration .

Undoubtedly , Mr . Buhari has inherited an array
of daunting challenges . The global drop in oil
prices caused a drastic decline in the country ’ s
revenues. The government must find a way to
battle Nigeria ’ s entrenched corruption . Boko
Haram, while weakened by the joint military
efforts of Chad , Cameroon , Niger and Nigeria in
recent months , has managed to kill more than
600 Nigerians in guerrilla - style attacks since Mr .
Buhari assumed office on May 29 . Mr . Buhari
must also find a way to improve efforts to help
care for and re - integrate nearly 1 . 5 million
Nigerians who have been internally displaced
by Boko Haram .

The United States has promised to provide $ 5
million toward the efforts of the multinational
joint force combating Boko Haram , on top of
$34 million already being provided to regional
efforts . However, bilateral security aid to
Nigeria should still be contingent on
demonstrable progress in ending human rights
abuses and corruption in the armed forces.
With a population of more than 170 million and
the continent’ s largest economy , Nigeria is a key
country in the future of Africa. Mr . Buhari ’ s
presidency offers hope for a positive new
chapter in U. S . - Nigeria relations .