Nine years ago today, in one of my last acts in office as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, I received the then Secretary of State of the United States of America, Senator John Kerry at the presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos, and delivered him at the State House Marina for a crucial meeting with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
This coincided roughly with the visit this week to Abuja by the current US Secretary or State, Mr Anthony Blinken. But unlike Mr Blinken’s visit, Senator Kerry’s was a highly publicised and anticipated one coming on the heels of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. Kerry was accompanied by the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ms Linda Thomas Greenfleld, and the American envoy to Nigeria Ambassador James F Entwistle.
There were rumours about extending the date of the general elections forward by six weeks, a gesture the opposition perceived as an attempt by the government to not hold the elections all together; and President Barrack Obama’s administration probably shared similar concerns too.
Kerry’s mission was simple and short eventhough controversial. It was to convey the United States’ message to Nigerian authorities (in no uncertain terms) that May, 29th 2015 must remain sacrosanct. President Jonathan, who had repeatedly assured Nigerians and the entire world of his resolve to conduct a free, fair and credible elections even if that would cost him the presidency felt there was actually no need for such suspicion. But Kerry, acting like a school child with a prepared script remained adamant and kept to his talking points. The meeting was unusually tensed and very brief.
On my flight back to Abuja that day with the then National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki rtd, he loosened up and gave me a rundown of privilege information about the enormous conspiracy weaved against the country in general and the Jonathan’s administration in particular. The scoops were both exciting and scary, but I nevertheless listened attentively.
On our final descent to Abuja, I told the NSA I was heading to Kano to rejoin the local campaign trail in Jigawa where I was the deputy gubernortorial candidate. He directed the presidential jet to drop me off.
I used the opportunity of the forty-five minutes flight I took alone to the Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano to reflect deeply on the events of the day and its implications to our future as a country. My conclusion that day remained much the same as they probably are today after Blinken’s visit this week, and Clinton’s before Kerry’s!
Dr Muhammad was Nigeria’s Minister of State Foreign Affairs (2011 to 2015)
