{"id":633,"date":"2022-05-23T14:14:44","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T14:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citywatch.ng\/insecurity-presidency-knocks-us-over-inconsistent-policy-support-for-nigeria-punch-newspapers\/"},"modified":"2022-05-23T14:14:44","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T14:14:44","slug":"insecurity-presidency-knocks-us-over-inconsistent-policy-support-for-nigeria-punch-newspapers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citywatch.ng\/?p=633","title":{"rendered":"Insecurity: Presidency knocks US over inconsistent policy, support for Nigeria – Punch Newspapers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Punch Newspapers<\/a>
punchng.com \u00a9 1971-2020 The Punch newspaper
Biden and Buhari
The Presidency on Sunday said that the United States\u2019 policy and support to Nigeria have been inconsistent over the years, especially as regards the provision of military equipment to fight the decade-long insecurity in the Sahel region.
It also berated the US policy experts and think tanks for their perennial attempts at predicting the country\u2019s collapse; which, it said, does not paint a true picture of a country that has enjoyed 23 years of steady democracy 29 years since its last coup.
Citing the delayed delivery of 12 Super Tucano jet fighters for the Nigerian Air Force, the Presidency noted that the reasons given for the delay\u2014poor interreligious relations between Christianity and Islam in the country\u2014were compounded by constant lobbying of US Congress by the opponents of the Nigerian government including the Catholic Bishop of Diocese of Sokoto, Mathew Kukah, whom it accused of projecting a warped picture of Nigeria\u2019s 23-year-old democracy to the global community.
These were contained in a statement signed on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled \u2018Predicting Nigeria\u2019s collapse is a perennial pursuit of US think tanks and policy experts.\u2019<\/p>\n

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The statement partly read: \u201cIt is a pity therefore that US policy and support towards our country, including during the Buhari administration, has been so inconsistent.
\u201cIn 2015 the then newly-elected Buhari government requested US military support in the form of Super Tucano jet fighters for the Nigerian Air Force. The Nigerian military, security, and intelligence services repeatedly made this request. The US administration of the time concurred: the delivery of such jets would help deliver a critical turning point in Nigeria\u2019s struggle against jihadist terrorists across the Sahel.
\u201cYet two years later, that jet delivery was rescinded, the reasons given that unless Nigeria improved its religious relations between Christianity and Islam then US support would not be forthcoming in this, and many other areas. <\/p>\n

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\u201cSuch views were compounded by the constant lobbying of US Congress by the opponents of the Nigerian government who had lost the previous election, and many of their southern religious supporters\u2014including Bishop Mathew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Diocese of Sokoto, who, unsurprising, provides a supportive quote for the dustcover of the new edition of Campbell\u2019s book. (Kukah even took to addressing the US Congress himself, briefing his audience on the history of coups in Nigeria\u2014without, of course, mentioning that none had occurred since 1993, some 29 years ago).
\u201cFortunately, now today under a new US administration these jets have been delivered, and with it, a serious blow against the terrorists\u2014with the supreme leader of Islamic State in West Africa and scores of other leaders of the group eliminated in airstrikes.
\u201cIt is also inconsistent to preach the need for stability but needlessly delay sharing military equipment in the form of jets – not least when it is now proven they would have helped Nigeria much earlier defeat the terrorists who threaten our country.\u201d
The Presidency also lamented that despite glaring contrary evidence predictors of Nigeria\u2019s state collapse have continued to bet big on their word. <\/p>\n

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    It said, \u201cIn 2005, a US National Intelligence Council paper \u201cMapping Sub-Saharan Africa\u2019s Future\u201d floated the idea there could be a military coup in Nigeria. However, for the last 29 years\u2014close to a generation\u2014there have been none.
    \u201cSince the return of democracy in 1999 there have been six general elections, four elected presidents, four transfers of power\u2014including one in 2015 between the winning opposition candidate and the losing incumbent president seeking re-election.
    \u201cYet despite all the evidence to the contrary, the collapse predictors keep doubling down on their bets. Most recently retired former US Ambassador to Nigeria 2004-7 John Campbell has updated his book, of which the first edition said:<\/p>\n

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