US Government To Host Northern Nigerian Governors In Washington

Governors of all 19 states in northern Nigeria are
expected to spend three days in Washington DC
next week at the invitation of the United States
Institute of Peace (USIP).

They will be participating in the Northern Nigeria
Governors’ Symposium from October 18 to 21 with
civic leaders from the Senior Working Group of
Nigeria and representatives of the Federal
Government of Nigeria.

Organized by the institute with support of U.S. State
Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization
Operations, the upcoming Symposium is the
second such event in as many years.

The first one which held in May 2014 discussed
security challenges caused by the Boko Haram
insurgency and strategies for stabilization and
development in northern Nigeria.

Speaking on Tuesday at the pre-symposium media
briefing, USIP Senior Advisors and former
ambassadors, Princeton Lyman and Johnnie Carson
said the institute’s Northern Governors’ symposium
was designed to bolster Nigeria’s commanding
stature in Sub-Saharan Africa by addressing causes
of instability and seeking opportunities for durable
peace in the north.

Describing the country as “a significant
powerhouse”, whose position in Africa compares to
that of India in Asia and Brazil in South America,
Mr. Carson said Nigeria also became “one of the
world’s premier democracy” after the epochal
election of 2015.

Mr. Lyman, who was U.S. ambassador to Nigeria
1986 to 1989, said Boko Haram insurgency opened
“new frontiers for engagement” and opportunity to
address the “disconnect between political power
and development” in northern Nigeria.

While all 19 governors got invitation to the
Symposium, as of last week, only Governors
Abdullah Abubakar (Bauchi), Kashim Shettima
(Borno and head of the Northern Nigeria Governors
Forum), Bello Masari (Katsina), Bako Lalong
(Plateau) and Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto) have
confirmed their participation.

Minister of the Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, and
Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode
Fayemi, have also confirmed their attendance.

The governors and other participants will meet with
officials from U.S. government, public agencies and
corporate bodies.

USIP’s Senior Program Officer for Nigeria, Oge
Onubogu, said the visiting Nigerian governors will
also meet with Steve Hayes, chairman of the
Corporate Council on Africa and Gayle Smith, USAID
director, to discuss project priorities for northern
Nigeria.

USIP officials are confident that the upcoming
Northern Governors’ Symposium will build on the
tangible successes of the first symposium which,
according to Ambassador Carson, include the
growing confidence of democratic governance as
evidenced by the laudable outcome of the 2015
elections and improved governance environment
with lessening of the “disconnect between northern
governors and the federal government”.