FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Since independence, Nigerian foreign policy has been characterized by a focus on Africa and by attachment to several fundamental principles: African unity and independence; peaceful settlement of disputes; nonalignment and nonintentional interference in the internal affairs of other nations; and regional economic cooperation and development. In pursuing the goal of regional economic cooperation and development, Nigeria helped create the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which seeks to harmonize trade and investment practices for its 15 West African member countries and ultimately to achieve a full customs union. Over the past decade, Nigeria has played a pivotal role in the support of peace in Africa. It provided the bulk of troops for the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), and the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), and is anticipated to do so also in Somalia.
Nigeria has enjoyed generally good relations with its immediate neighbors. A longstanding border dispute with Cameroon over the potentially oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula was addressed by International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in 2002. The ICJ awarded most of the disputed Bakassi Peninsula and maritime rights to Cameroon, and the UN established a Mixed Commission on implementing the ICJ ruling. On June 12, 2006 Nigerian President Obasanjo and Cameroonian President Biya signed an agreement in New York on implementing the ICJ decision. Nigeria promptly withdrew its troops within 60 days. On August 14, 2008, Nigeria formally ceded Bakassi to Cameroon.
Nigeria is a member of the following international organizations: UN and many of its special and related agencies; World Trade Organization (WTO); International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Bank/IBRD; African Development Bank (AfDB); INTERPOL; Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); African Union (AU); Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) and several other West African bodies; Commonwealth; Nonaligned Movement (NAM); and Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), among others.
U.S.-NIGERIAN
RELATIONS
Since the restoration of basic democracy in Nigeria in 1999, the bilateral relationship has continued to improve, and cooperation on many important foreign policy goals, such as regional peacekeeping, has been excellent.
The government has lent strong diplomatic support to U.S. Government counter-terrorism efforts in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Government of Nigeria, in its official statements, has both condemned the terrorist attacks and supported military action against the Taliban and Al Qaida. Nigeria also has played a leading role in forging an anti-terrorism consensus among states in Sub-Saharan Africa. An estimated one million Nigerians and Nigerian Americans live, study, and work in the United States, while over 25,000 Americans live and work in Nigeria. President Yar'Adua visited President Bush at the White House on December 13, 2007. Secretary Clinton hosted a meeting with Foreign Minister Maduekwe on March 23, 2009.
DEFENSE
Active duty personnel in the three Nigerian armed services total approximately 76,000. The Nigerian Army, the largest of the services, has about 60,000 personnel deployed in two mechanized infantry divisions, one composite division (airborne and amphibious), the Lagos Garrison Command (a division size unit), and the Abuja-based Brigade of Guards. It has demonstrated its capability to mobilize, deploy, and sustain battalions in support of peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia, Angola, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan/Darfur, and Somalia. The Nigerian Navy (7,000) is equipped with frigates, fast attack, and coastal patrol boats. The Nigerian Air Force (9,000) flies transport, trainer, helicopter, and fighter aircraft, but most are currently not operational. Nigeria also has pursued a policy of developing domestic military production capabilities. Before the lifting of sanctions by many Western nations, Nigeria had turned to China, Russia, North Korea, and India for the purchase of military equipment and training.
U.S. Foreign Assistance Priorities
Democratic and economic progress in Nigeria is challenged by poor governance, entrenched corruption, internal conflict, ineffective service delivery, and pervasive poverty. Nigeria remains mired near the bottom of the United National Development Program (UNDP) human development index. While there has been notable progress in macroeconomic policy reform over the past few years, these reforms have yet to bring measurable improvements to the lives of the people. U.S. assistance is trying to help Nigeria address these challenges by fostering transparent and accountable governance; engaging civil society and government partners to battle corruption; increasing professionalism of the military and law enforcement agencies; strengthening health and education systems to deliver quality services; growing the non-oil economy; and improving the environment for regional and international trade. With national and local elections scheduled for mid-2011, efforts are also focused on creating an environment for transparent and credible elections.
Peace and Security: Prior decades of military rule had a negative effect on the
professional development of the Nigerian armed forces. The Nigerian military is
still in need of reform efforts to professionalize the officer and
noncommissioned officer corps to include a focus on promoting effective civilian
oversight and respect for human rights and the rule of law. U. S. assistance
continues to provide equipment and training for Nigerian peacekeeping forces,
which are deployed to peacekeeping missions throughout the continent. Funding
assists in developing the capacity of government institutions and civil society
to prevent, manage, and mitigate conflict. The U.S. program also builds
Nigeria's capability to address threats to maritime security, including
narcotics trafficking, and attempts to improve Nigeria's human rights record and
enhance public trust in the security services.
Governing Justly and Democratically: U.S. funding advances the rule of law by
strengthening the capacity and transparency of the justice system and building
judicial independence at the federal level. Good governance and anti-corruption
reform is enhanced by creating more responsive governance structures at the
national and local levels, improving service delivery, and strengthening budget
management capacity and fiscal oversight. The United States works directly with
a diverse cross-section of Nigerian civil society organizations, building their
internal management capacity and strengthening their ability to engage with the
government on issues of fiscal accountability, budget monitoring, and extractive
industries transparency. To lay the groundwork for credible elections in 2011,
the United States will help to build local capacity in managing and coordinating
elections infrastructure, and to promote civil society input into electoral and
constitutional reform dialogue and oversight of the electoral process.
Investing in People: Helping Nigeria address the fundamental health and
education needs of its citizens directly impacts governance, stability, and
economic growth. Nigeria ranks 70 out of 71 countries in the 2008 Report on the
State of the World's Mothers. The national average maternal mortality is about
800 per 100,000 live births, but the rate is at least three times higher in the
northern states. Health-care consumers often opt to forego treatment, or to pay
for treatment from unskilled providers. Almost one-third of women receive no
antenatal care. Sixty-six percent of deliveries take place in the home, with
only 35% assisted by trained health care personnel. The United States supports
increased access to quality family planning and reproductive health services,
focusing efforts in selected states with high unmet demand. Maternal and child
health efforts target routine immunization, polio eradication, birth
preparedness, and maternity services, seeking to reduce catastrophic rates of
maternal and young child mortality. With Nigeria's child malaria mortality
burden of over 300,000 preventable deaths per year, U.S. assistance increases
access to proven preventive and curative interventions, including insecticide
treated nets, net retreatment kits, and artemisinin combination therapy
treatment for children and pregnant women. Nigeria has the largest tuberculosis
(TB) burden in Africa. To reduce death and disability, especially in the
vulnerable co-infected HIV/AIDS population, U.S. assistance aims to double the
case detection rate and halve the incidence of TB over the next 10 years.
Funding supports equitable access to quality basic education through teacher
training, infrastructure improvement, and community involvement, focusing on
public schools as well as Islamiyyah schools that provide both secular and
religious education. U.S. assistance fosters higher education partnerships
between American and Nigerian universities, focusing on institutions in the
north. Through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Nigeria receives significant support to build partnerships with the host country to provide integrated prevention, care, and treatment programs throughout the country and support orphans and vulnerable children. As a result, in 2007 the World Bank noted that HIV-positive seroprevalence rates decreased to 3.1%.
Economic Growth: Funding will build trade and investment capacity and improve
the enabling environment for agriculture and microfinance. The United States
will continue to implement activities under the Global Food Security Response
that will accelerate the uptake of proven production, processing, and marketing
technologies, significantly increase the productivity of selected staple food
crops, foster agricultural value chain development, and stimulate job creation
through the growth of agribusiness enterprises. Customs regulation and policy
reform will enhance regional trade, transport linkages, and smooth supply to
regional markets, ensuring adherence to international standards. U.S. assistance
will also focus on expanding investment opportunities, which are hampered by
limited access to market-driven commercial financial services, including
microfinance. U.S. assistance will also help expand access to credit through
partnerships with commercial banks and increased capacity of microfinance
institutions. The U.S. will partner with Nigeria's Central Bank to improve the
policy environment for micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
Ongoing presidential initiatives with Nigeria include the African Growth and
Competitiveness Initiative, fighting avian flu, the Initiative to End Hunger in
Africa, and the Trans-Sahel Counter-Terrorism Program. Nigeria's eligibility for
other regional activities include the Famine Early Warning System;
Anti-Corruption Initiative; trafficking in persons; and the Ambassador's Girls
Scholarship Fund. Nigeria is a premier participant in the President's Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), for which about $467 million was committed in FY
2008.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador-Robin Renee Sanders
Deputy Chief of Mission--Lisa Piascik
Political Affairs--Terry Pflaumer
Economic Affairs--Robert Tansey
Commercial Affairs--Larry Farris (Lagos)
Agricultural Affairs--Ali Abdi (Lagos)
Consul General--Vicky Hutchinson, Acting (Lagos)
U.S. Embassy website: http://abuja.usembassy.gov/
