Immediately the erstwhile seeming diplomatic tension between Nigeria and Britain died down almost effortlessly, it was, as usual, a field day for critics to mount the rostrum for another dressing down for President Muhammadu Buhari allegedly both taking so long to respond and without any spark. Her Majesty’s government obviously pre-empted that response by piping down. By the way, the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Catriona Laing had arrogantly maintained that, even if Nigeria retaliated by banning Britons from visiting Nigeria, her country would still not lift the travel ban on Nigeria. As Britain unceremoniously lifted the ban amid speculations that Nigeria’s ban on Britain was imminent, nobody back home had been demanding her resignation despite the fact that Britain’s lifting of the ban made it no longer necessary for Nigeria to retaliate.
Earlier, for some unknown reasons, Britain listed Nigeria among those countries whose travellers were banned from entering Britain on account of the danger posed by fast-spreading coronavirus, a decision which was more of a dramatic, if not hostile, departure from an otherwise long-time mutual self-respect, such that, without publicly saying so, when Britain commenced its red-listed countries believed not to be seriously combating the coronavirus, Nigeria was conspicuously excluded for obvious reasons. The negligible fatal casualty rate was either because of the limited spread/effect of coronavirus or (Nigerian) government’s very serious combat of the pandemic or both. Then, suddenly, Britain’s U-turn against Nigeria on all health fronts.
That shocking development required measured response. But, instead, the know-all rabble-rousers picked a cheap opportunity to display ignorance and immaturity. What do these critics know about Nigeria’s diplomatic past, which could have been rated higher or stronger than Nigeria’s handling of Britain’s listing and delisting of the country (Nigeria) over the COVID-19 crisis? Indeed throughout Africa, since independence era, starting from 1957, only Ghana, under Kwame Nkrumah, did any country operate an aggressive foreign policy such that if Britain red-listed the country on coronavirus, Ghana’s foreign minister, Krobo Edusei, would have expelled the serving British high commissioner within 48 hours at the most. It was Ghana’s regular foreign policy, which, over the years, made President Nkrumah and Foreign Minister Krobo Edusei either famous or notorious, depending on your camp.
Such courageous or rash decisions were usually against western powers, which, while drawing cheers at home, totally collapsed Ghanaian economy and isolated President Nkrumah even from many other African leaders whom he antagonised and called names for not toeing his line. Accordingly, he, Nkrumah, revelled in persecution complex and had to regiment the country into a one-party state rule under his dictatorship, with total loss of freedom in all aspects for the average citizen and, when he was overthrown on February, 24, 1966, it was a relief for the average Ghanaian.
Otherwise, since the colonial days, throughout independence up to the tenure of soldiers from 1966 to 1979, Nigerian nationalists and leaders were known throughout Africa for their moderate reputation: Nnamdi Azikiwe (Premier, Eastern Region, and later President of the republic), Tafawa Balewa (Minister of Transport and later Prime Minister of Nigeria), Obafemi Awolowo (Premier of Western Region and later federal opposition leader), Ahmadu Bello (Premier of Northern Region), S.L. Akintola (former federal opposition leader and later Premier of Western Region), Michael Okpara (Premier, Eastern Region), Dennis Osadebay (Premier, Mid-West) and General Yakubu Gowon, Head of State. Among the lot, only Ahmadu Bello, as Premier of the north, stirred diplomatic feathers when he said he did not recognise Israel. He obviously was speaking for purposes of religion than any political or diplomatic aggression. But Tafawa Balewa calmed all nerves when he countered that “Nigeria recognises Israel.” Balewa was speaking in his capacity as Nigeria’s Prime Minister and that settled the controversy.
Uganda’s Idi Amin exhibited more of diplomatic rascality or at best fun to entertain observers than any kick at Britain. Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere was about the most pragmatic. Never a lackey of Britain, he was at the same time focussed on the development and education of his people. Hence, his cat-and-mouse relationship with ex-colonialist Britain. Nkrumah’s comrade-in-arms was neighbouring Guinea’s Sekou Toure, who, like Nkrumah, never had friendly ties with western powers, especially colonial rulers, France. They both almost had no friends among their colleagues on the continent, with whom any dealing was at a safe distance.
Only once did Nigeria appear to be tough-talking on foreign policy. On July 29, 1975, the new Murtala-Obasanjo regime assumed office in a bloodless coup only for the apparently naive administration to be infiltrated by misguided self-pontificating radicals. These fellows tilted official reasoning towards nationalisation and incoherent Pan-Africanism. How they hoped for their landmark where Kwame Nkrumah and Sekou Toure failed was not clear. Unfortunately, in a failed palace coup attempt, Murtala Muhammed was killed. Before then, Nigeria lost its image as a moderate country when the new administration openly took sides with the left-leaning nationalist movement in Angola. Added to that was the nationalisation of British Petroleum company (BP) in Nigeria. When, therefore, the tragedy of February 13, 1976, occurred, the traditional sympathy from the western world was not as fulsome as usual.
Inevitably, following Nigeria’s dramatic all-out shift to the left, unannounced row ensued between Nigeria and its foreign friends. But since then, Nigeria has returned to its moderate status in all diplomatic dealings with Britain. Even on the return of Olusegun Obasanjo as a civilian elected President, he never tried any tough stance in dealing with Britain, especially on his failed attempted perpetual rule plan. United States was even more blunt by telling it straight to Obasanjo that he must go at the end of his second term. (See “No Higher Honour” by ex-Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice).
Nigeria’s quiet diplomacy in dealing with Britain on the red-listing over the coronavirus yielded the desired result, and in quick time too. Had Nigeria adopted the “gra gra” approach against Britain as was in Ghana under Nkrumah in the 1960s, the controversy would still be on now. In which case, the Nigerian government would have had to carry the can for its citizens’ disruption from their regular international journeys, especially to and from Britain. To worsen matters, the pandemic is ravaging not only Britain and Europe, posing threat to Christmas and New Year celebrations, but also United States, which was, ironically, not red-listed by Britain.
That called into question the rationality of earlier banning Nigerians from travelling to Britain. It is of course not tenable that poor or non-existing statistics in Nigeria is partially responsible for low fatal casualty rate. When the death toll was unusually high daily in Kano, on a daily basis in hundreds, that disturbing alarm was widely reported, and the spread was contained even despite the poor statistics. Or must the high death rate be true only when reported and be false or ignored when brought under control by Nigerian authorities?
Yes, Ghana, South Africa and Rwanda. Which other country in Africa is recording higher coronavirus fatal casualties than Nigeria’s? Take it or leave it. Corona crisis, whatever the variant, has been very kind to Africa in casualty figures. Nigeria is, therefore, like other African countries, a major beneficiary of the admittedly still intolerable coronavirus in Africa. The wish, indeed prediction, of the soothsayers at the outbreak of coronavirus two years ago was that by now Nigeria would be the cemetery of the world. Through a combination of factors that has not happened. Certainly, we shall survive.
Hello, from the Camp
At the outbreak of COVID-19 about two years ago, Redeemed leader, Enoch Adeboye, claimed that God had earlier revealed to him that humanity would suffer the pandemic and that he (Adeboye) didn’t bother to alert his followers. Unfortunately, coronavirus has completely changed living and working style of entire humanity.
Not yet done, Adeboye was later to dare the destruction going on all over the world by predicting that corona pandemic would not last long and, in particular, would soon be consigned into history. Instead, more than a years later, the ravage continues, still all over the world.
Still, only recently, Adeboye assured his followers that only those destined to die of coronavirus would be recorded with the pandemic. At a time Nigerian government and indeed governments all over western world are prevailing on humanity to urgently get vaccinated against ever-spreading coronavirus?
Whatever fate awaits the average Nigerian, perform your first duty to God. Get vaccinated TODAY. CORONA IS SPREADING LIKE WILDFIRE AND PEOPLE ARE DYING EVERY SECOND. ALL OVER THE WORLD.