How Yar’Adua goofed on AFRICOM in US

Idowu Samuel, with Agency Report - 20.12.2007

THERE are indications that the United States President, Mr. George Bush, had long approved the siting of a United States African Command (AFRICOM) in Africa and had specifically invited President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to accept that Nigeria should be the base for the proposed US Military Command.

Investigations by Nigerian Tribune with the assistance of some US-based Nigerian journalists who covered the last visit by Yar’Adua to Washington for a meeting with Bush, revealed that the proposal on AFRICOM was initially drawn by the former US Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, in 1996 and was approved by the US government the day the defence secretary left the office.

The command, as proposed, would be responsible for US military operations and military relations with 53 African countries except Egypt, and to be fully operational by September 2008.

Ethiopia, a country considered as friendly with the United States, was proposed initially to host the US military command in Africa.

The meeting by Yar’Adua with the US President has, however, been generating controversy following allegations that he had sold out the country by accepting the proposal by the United States to establish AFRICOM in Nigeria as part of the country’s initiative to implement peace and security in the continent of Africa.

Meanwhile, a cold war is going on between officials of the Presidency and those of the Foreign Affairs Ministry over Yar’Adua’s visit, Empowered Newswire has reported.

The problem is about the circumstances leading to President Yar’Adua’s statement last Thursday at the White House where he declared that Nigeria would partner with the US military command for Africa.

US Embassy sources disclosed to Empowered Newswire that top presidency officials were shocked that Yar’Adua went into the White House meeting with Bush without clearly defined talking points.

Presidency sources also said this loophole partly explained the presentation of the president when he and Bush briefly spoke to the press at the White House after the meeting.

Bush did not say a word about AFRICOM, and diplomatic sources said even at the closed door meetings, it was the US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice and her assistant in charge of Africa, Jendayi Frazer, who discussed AFRICOM with Yar’Adua in some greater details.