A globally-acclaimed independent think-tank, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) which provides resources that help individuals and corporate bodies to better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries has described Nigeria’s population as evenly distributed between Christians and Muslims. It says Nigeria’s large oil deposits and the relatively modern military has accorded it a greater advantage over other African countries.
This was disclosed in the Council’s special report titled: “U.S. policy to counter Nigeria’s Boko Haram” written by the Council’s Senior Fellow for Africa policy studies, John Campbell, and emailed to DAILY POST. The report is titled: ”short- and long-term strategies the United States policymakers can adopt in helping the Nigerian government confront the Boko Haram challenge.”
Referring to the deadly Boko Haram militancy the nation is battling with, Campbell, who is a former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria observed that, “if the country has been the ‘giant of Africa,’ Nigeria’s current challenges politically destabilize West Africa, potentially providing a base for jihadist groups hostile to Western interests, fueling a humanitarian crisis, and by example discrediting democratic aspirations elsewhere in Africa.”
He further explained that Washington follows a short-term strategy that would want the Nigerian government to end its gross human rights abuses, conduct credible national elections in 2015 and meet the immediate needs of refugees and persons internally displaced by the insurgency plaguing the North-east.
He recommended that, in the long-term, the Obama administration in the U.S should encourage Nigerians working for human rights and democracy, revoke American visas held by Nigerians who promote violence and commit financial crimes, and support the Nigerian government to revamp the culture of its military and police.
The Senior Fellow of CFR submitted that Nigeria could “resume its evolution into a democratic state that abides by the rule of law and pursues a regional leadership role commensurate with its size and supportive of goals shared with the United States” when it takes steps to end abuses and conduct credible elections in the country.
Follow this link to read full report: http://www.cfr.org/Nigeria_CSR
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