INTERVIEW: What I will never forget about Nigeria — U.S. Ambassador, James Entwistle

__Buhari’s kept his promise to Nigerians — out-going_
U.S. Ambassador
James Entwistle assumed duties in Abuja as United
States’ ambassador in the country on October 28,
2013. After almost three years working in the world’s
most populous black nation, Mr. Entwistle is counting
down to the end of his tour of duty in Africa, and
final exit from the American foreign service after 35
and half years.
For his exit interview, Mr. Entwistle sat with a select
group of Nigerian journalists at the U.S. Embassy in
Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. BASSEY UDO was there for
PREMIUM TIMES .
Excerpts:
INTRODUCTION: I’m very happy to see all of you. I
always love the chance to sit down with the media,
particularly since I am leaving definitively later this
month at the end of my assignment as U.S.
Ambassador to Nigeria, and at the end of July, I am
retiring from the U.S. Foreign Service after 35 and
half years of service.
I had a tremendous career all over the world and a
number of assignments in Africa. As I get ready to
leave, I think back, and I cannot think of a better
way to wrap up my career than to be entrusted by
President Obama with the stewardship of what I
believe was the most important relationship in
Africa.
I say in public all the time, and I actually believe
that what our two countries have is a partnership.
That means, in the way I always describe it – two
great democracies working together to make the
world a better place. That’s absolutely true.
I have been warmly received in every corner of this
country. It’s been a marvellous experience. The
other day I was asked: What’s the most unpleasant
experience I had in Nigeria? I was stuck, and fought
for a long time, and responded that I haven’t had
any unpleasant experience in this country. They
were very disappointed. But, that’s the truth.
So, I will leave here having enjoyed every minute of
my time as the U.S. Ambassador. I will leave with a
sense of satisfaction, because I think our
relationship, by and large, is in very good shape.
And one thing I’ll never forget is the election
process last year in March. In my over 35 years
career, that was the most inspirational thing I have
been part of. The process here, the way in which the
Nigerian people made clear that this time they
wanted their vote to count, and would accept
nothing less. I found that inspirational.
I was proud in my small way to have been part of it.
That’s something I will carry in my heart forever.
So, it’s up to all Nigerians to make sure that 2019 is
even better.
PT: President Buhari recently celebrated his first
year in office. You’ve just spoken so glowingly
about the process that brought him to office. But,
it’s like Nigerians are a little impatient with him,
particularly achievements so far. They say they
want to see the change he promised. What’s your
take on this?


ENTWISTLE: I see a parallel between President
Buhari and President Obama. President Obama had
not been in office for a long time before people
began to have the same kind of impatience. I think
in the U.S., a lot of people forgot how difficult the
situation President Obama inherited was at the time.
I think the same thing is happening with President
Buhari to a certain degree.
It’s completely understandable for people to have
high expectations. They are impatient, because they
want to see change. But, President Buhari inherited
a pretty difficult set of circumstances, and some of
the things he’s identified that needed to be done –
end corruption, reform the petroleum sector, end
the conflict in the North East region – are things that
even if he works as hard as he can, they are going
to take some time to yield the kind of results people
expect.
I understand why people are impatient. I remember
a week after inauguration, looking at the
newspapers, there was already an editorial that said:
“Well, Mr. President, it’s been a week, we haven’t
seen much yet.” And I thought to myself: Whao!
Expectations are high. There is not going to be much
of a honeymoon. So, I think it’s good that the
expectations from Mr. President are very high. But, I
think we have to remember what he inherited. And
in my opinion, I try always to be neutral and
balanced. I think Mr. President and his team have
done a good job this first year. They need some
patience.

PT: But, the massive slide in the economy in the
last one year seems not to bear your view out?


ENTWISTLE: Well, I think it’s true with Presidents
in any democracy. When times are good, you take
the credits for it, fairly or unfairly. When times are
bad, you get the blame, fairly or unfairly.
At the moment, oil prices are down. The Nigerian
economy is affected by some of the things he
(Buhari) inherited, like poor infrastructure in the
petroleum sector, and things like that.

I am not much of an economist, But, I think what he
has done with the exchange rate of the Naira,
removal of fuel subsidies, and so on are things that
had to be done. I think in very deliberate fashion,
the economy would, hopefully, begin to improve.
But, remember in this day and age, no country is an
economic island. We are all tied together. What
happens in one country affects the economy in
every other country. So, I give the President pretty
good marks. Let’s see how he marches forward in
the next few years.


PT: You said you had a great time in Nigeria.
What areas of bilateral trade relations did you
improve upon between the U.S. and Nigeria
during your time?


ENTWISTLE: By myself, I did not come with
anything. But, as the head of the U.S. team in
Nigeria, I think we had some tremendous
achievements. On the economic front, we have a
number of the biggest U.S. companies in the world
in Nigeria and very active – General Electric, Proctor
& Gamble, big oil companies, some of the Hi-tech
boys, like Google and Microsoft, are here.
I think with our support, the U.S. commercial
presence here has increased. That’s a good thing.
Under my stewardship here, the U.S. team has put in
a huge effort in helping the Nigerian government in
North East. Some of that have been military training,
equipment, etc.
We are also doing a lot to help the government get
ready for the next stage in the North East, which
will be the return of civilian administration; getting
the police up and running again in the North East.
The U.S. government is doing a lot, about $700
million this year to respond to the humanitarian
crisis in the North East. There is a food crisis in the
North East. I think all Nigerians should get involved
in finding solutions to this crisis. They are Nigerians
dying of starvation in Nigeria. How can that be in
this marvellous country?
I think the government and the donor agencies, like
the U.S. government, we all need to up our game in
the humanitarian front. But, let’s be clear, these are
Nigerians in distress in Nigeria. The primary
responsibility lies with the government of Nigeria.
The U.S. government and many other donor
agencies stand ready to help in every way we can.
But, they are Nigerians in a bad way in the North
East. I think we all have to do more to help them.
So, those are some of the big areas I focused on in
my time here. I already talked about the elections.
We also had some fruitful cooperation on health
issues. Sometimes we are judged by what doesn’t
happen. I think we were very effective working
together to prevent Ebola from breaking out across
the country. I think it was a very effective
collaboration. That’s the approach I tried to take –
collaboration, cooperation – two great democracies
working together to make the world a better place.


PT: After the March 2015 elections, there have
been a number of other re-run elections. But,
there have been a lot of outcry that INEC under
the new leadership does not seem to do as much
as the previous one. How do you respond to this?


ENTWISTLE: I don’t agree with that. I was a big
admirer of Professor (Attahiru) Jega. I think he’s
Nigeria true hero. But, in my dealing with Professor
Mahmood Yakubu, I’ve been very impressed as well.
I think we do not have to be an election expert to
know.
If we look at everything INEC is responsible for, it is
a huge array of responsibilities – from conducting
elections, to voter education, to this and that. And
we look at the fact that they would have to depend
on volunteers they do not always have control over,
all of the challenges they have, I think they are doing
a pretty good job.

Obviously, they have been some re-runs were people
have found fault with the results. I am not sure if
you can put a lot of that on INEC. I think you have to
put it on the candidates and the political parties.
Have they been inciting violence, fraud? All the
things I spoke out against in the general elections
campaigns, I think there is a sense, and
understandable that, well we don’t have to worry
again about the 2015 elections until 2019.
So, I will call on all candidates to make public
commitments to non-violence, participation in fraud
and manipulation or intimidation. I hope the media
and civil society in Nigeria will continue to hold all
candidates (even in out of the ways elections that
don’t get national attention) to very high standards.


PT: What’s been the level of investment by the
U.S. in Nigeria, particularly in energy projects?


ENTWISTLE: We are doing a lot on the energy front.
Much of these are through President Obama’s Power
Africa Initiative. Through that we are trying to help
power generating and distribution companies
(DISCOs) privatize and get in business.
We have put some advisers on various DISCOs and
so on. We are focused on developing more solar
energy. There are some rural communities that
would probably never be on the national grid. So,
solar energy makes tremendous sense. We also use
the opportunity to promote U.S. business, through
U.S. companies that provide cost-effective solar
energy equipment. So, the power system in Nigeria
is probably the key thing that has to be fixed for the
economy to grow. We are trying to help in every
way we can to power Africa.


PT: There have been allegations that the fight
against corruption does not follow due process;
that it is selective, politically-motivated to witch-
hunt, and all that. Do you agree?


ENTWISTLE: I don’t agree. I have a lot of respect for
President Buhari on the corruption issue. He made
it clear during the campaigns that he was going to
make that his focus. He has done exactly what he
said he would do. It’s clear that he has unleashed
the investigative agencies, and told them to follow
evidence and information wherever it goes.
I have followed all the things you have just
mentioned, that there are prosecutions that are
politically-motivated and so on. I have been
following this, looking for either investigations or
arrests that are solely politically-motivated, or only
political, I haven’t found any. I think there are cases
where there might be a political angle to it, but are
also some real evidence to support the real case.

That’s something we follow very closely, just as you
do. Narrow are the paths of investigations, making
arrests, but what I hope Nigerians will follow very
closely in the next few years is, as these cases go to
court, how they are handled in court, how the courts
do their job, how the government reacts when
inevitably they would lose a case in court, what’s
the reaction to that. All these are things that have to
be observed and handled very carefully.

But, the premise of your question is absolutely
correct. In any country, it is easy for corruption
cases to begin to spin out of control. I don’t see that
happening here. I hope all Nigerians will follow that
very closely, and if you see it, say it.


PT: You are about to end your tour of duty in
Nigeria in a matter of weeks. In your handover
note, which area would you advice your successor
to focus on to strengthen the relations between
Nigeria and the U.S.?


ENTWISTLE: My successor is very good and
talented. I know that Nigeria will be in very good
hands. I don’t think you would have to break new
grounds that would need inclusion in my handover
note. I think he will continue work on the things we
have been working on, particularly all the areas we
have been cooperating on – from security assistance
to health and everything in between. I will
encourage him to travel as much as he can and
spend as much time as he can to meet and spend
time with young Nigerians.
In my time, when I travel I tried to go to some
universities or some places I can sit down with
young Nigerians. I always find it incredibly
impressive – the energy, dynamism, ideas,
brainpower and all that. That’s Nigeria’s greatest
resources – dynamic and talented young people, who
have a vision of the future for their country. I found
that very inspiring.


PT: Nigeria is seen as the giant of Africa, but a lot
of Nigerians are worried that President Obama
has visited Africa a couple of times and has not
found it necessary to visit Nigeria. What’s going
on?


ENTWISTLE: Nobody would be happier to see
President Obama come to Nigeria than me. But, let
me remind you that President Obama is in office for
six more months, which is a long time. So, we’ll see
what happens.
Keep in mind that there are other
ways to do finer relationships than just a visit by a
president.
When President Buhari went to Washington a year
ago this month, he met for long time with President
Obama in the Oval office. So, we have a very good
high level relationship even when President Obama
has not been to Nigeria. But, as I said, he will be in
office for six more months. We will see what
happens.


PT: The U.S. and Nigeria have had very good trade
relations over the years. But, in recent times, it
appears that is fast losing ground to China. Are
there areas of the relationship you would
recommend to your successor to make amends to
restore those good old days?


ENTWISTLE: I don’t agree we are losing grounds to
anybody. China has its relationships with Africa.

They have a different approach than we do. That’s
fine. But, I think people will find that if they go
American way they will get a better product and so
on.


I think all the things that Nigeria needs to do are
well understood, and have been done – the fight
against corruption, trying to renovate and improve
infrastructure in the oil industry, improve education
and health systems. These are things we have
already identified in our programmes. I really can’t
think of anything else. The issues are fairly obvious.
The leadership in Nigeria, and more importantly the
ordinary citizens, need to understand what needs to
be done.

I don’t agree that the U.S. private sector is not in
Nigeria. Some of our biggest boys are here. They are
very interested in doing more. That’s why I ask
government to continue to do everything it can to
maintain a climate that attracts foreign investments.
A responsible foreign investment pays taxes,
provides revenue, and creates jobs.


PT: Earlier, you said you could not find any
unpleasant experience in Nigeria during your
time. What then would you say was your most
pleasant moment?


ENTWISTLE: I will have to go back to the elections.
I
found that to be a positive, almost euphoric
experience. That’s something I will always carry in
my heart forever. I will never forget it.


On Election Day, I stayed in Abuja, but we had our
own teams all over the country. I went to a polling
station in FCT and talked to an old woman. She’s
been there all morning till that afternoon, and she
said to me: “This is elections day. If I have to stand
here all day in order to vote, then I will stand all
day.”

I said to myself Whao! Sometimes it is easy to take
the right to vote for granted. We forget what people
have gone through all over the world to get their
right to vote, and how precious it is.
Listening to the elderly woman reminded me how
precious the right to vote is, and what people go
through to get it.
I was there in Alabama when Martin Luther King
made his now famous speech. I remember African-
Americans protesting, because they wanted to vote,
even though theoretically they have had the right for
a hundred years. They wanted to have the right to
vote. I remember the people being attacked by the
police in Alabama with water and dogs.

That underlines to me how precious a thing the right
to vote is. I think about what people have gone
through. I saw the emphasis Nigerians put on, the
patience that they stood in line, and the way the
system worked after that. The votes were counted
and tabulated; the incumbent president conceded
defeat and stepped down. I thought the whole
process was incredibly inspirational. That’s the high
point of my time here.


PT: During the Chibok girls’ saga, the U.S.
government raised the hopes of Nigerians when it
offered to assist in locating the girls. But, it
appears all that hope was dashed. What
happened?

ENTWISTLE: Those Chibok girls and everyone else
that have been captured and abused by Boko Haram
are Nigerians in distress in Nigeria. The first
responsibility lies with the Nigerian government.
What the U.S. government offered to do was to help
the Nigerian government with information and
everything we could help with.
But, the notion that we were going to shove the
government out of the way and bring back the girls
would have been a great insult on the government
and Nigerians.
Since the time of the kidnap, cooperation in the
North East with the military and intelligence fronts
have grown tremendously. So, the struggle is not
over. The military has continued to make steady
progress.

They are opening areas and finding people
inside. We all pray that the day will come that we
will find some of the Chibok girls.

PT: What would you say has been your best
Nigerian food, and may be the best place you
would always want to return to?
ENTWISTLE: My second tour of duty here back in
the 1980s was in the North of Nigeria. So, I learnt a
lot about Kilishi (local dry meat) there. So, I’ve
enjoyed a lot of Kilishi here in Nigeria.

On the place I will return to, I have to be careful,
because whatever I say people will criticize me. But,
I remember I took a trip to the northern part of
Cross River state to look at the wild life that is still
alive in this country – gorillas, elephants and all
sorts of things.

That was a tremendous trip, but I came away with a
sense that they were under tremendous threat, and
hope Nigerians would do everything they can to
preserve that population. If I come back, I would not
mind spending some more time there.

PT: If you were to write your memoirs today, how
would the chapter on your experience in Nigeria
read?

ENTWISTLE: It will read exactly as I have said
before. It was fascinating and incredible time to be
here during the elections. I was impressed with
Nigerians. I enjoyed my time. But, I have no
particular plan to write memoirs.
PT: Any final word to all Nigerians
ENTWISTLE: Thank you.

SOURCE : _Premium_