The presidency says John Campbell, a former US ambassador to
Nigeria, has been “consistently” proven wrong over his predictions that the
country will collapse.
The presidency was reacting to a recent article co-authored
by Campbell and Robert Rotberg.
The authors, in the article published on Foreign Affairs,
said Nigeria is in big trouble and has failed in its obligation to provide
security to those it governs.
They also said Nigeria, “Africa’s giant”, is failing and on
the verge of collapse.
Reacting in a statement on Thursday, Garba Shehu,
presidential spokesman, said while Campbell is entitled to his opinions, events
have proven his predictions wrong.
Shehu further said Campbell distorted facts to suit an
argument when he wrote in the article that President Muhammadu Buhari requested
that AFRICOM be moved to Nigeria.
“Ambassador Campbell has been predicting the collapse of
Nigeria for several years. He is of course entitled to his opinions, even where
events consistently prove him wrong. But facts should not be bent to support
distorted opinions,” Shehu wrote.
“Let me give you one
example. The authors write: ‘At an April meeting with U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken, Buhari reportedly requested that the headquarters of the U.S.
Africa Command be moved from Germany to Nigeria so that it would be closer to
the fight against jihadi groups in the country’s north.’
“President Buhari did not request that AFRICOM move to
Nigeria. The transcript of the call with Secretary Blinken is available on the
State Department’s own website.
“It’s not just a question of the invented addition of ‘to
Nigeria’ with regard to AFRICOM. It sums up a piece that attempts – subtly but
revealingly – to shift facts to suit an argument. Nigeria faces multiple
challenges, not least of which is the dissemination of fake news and prejudiced
opinion.
“This is something we have come to expect from partisan
blogs and politically motivated lobbies. It is still a surprise, and a
disappointment, to see them joined by Foreign Affairs.”
Buhari had, in April, asked the United States to consider
relocating the headquarters of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) from Germany to
Africa.
The relocation, according to Buhari, is necessary as part of
efforts to address insecurity in Nigeria and other African nations.
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