The presidency has reacted to predictions by John Campbell, a former US ambassador to Nigeria, that the country was on the verge of collapse.
In a statement on Thursday in Abuja, Presidential Spokes, Garba Shehu said, Campbell has been predicting about Nigeria’s collapse for several year.
Campbell had in a recent article he co-authored with Robert Rotberg and published on www.foreignpolicy.com, said Nigeria was at the verge of collapsed.
He noted that the increasing insecurity and the growing discontent among various groups in Nigeria and the failure of the government to tackle increasing insecurity across the protect are some of the symptoms of a failed state.
The article also noted that, “Corruption, always a problem in Nigeria, has remained endemic. Buhari’s administration came to power in 2015 and won reelection in 2019 with promises to clean up corruption.
“But Nigeria is as corrupt at every jurisdictional level as it has been for decades, which greatly hinders the continuing struggle against insecurity”.
However, Shehu said, while Campbell is entitled to his opinions, events have proven his predictions wrong.
“Ambassador Campbell has been predicting the collapse of Nigeria for several years.
He is of course entitled to his opinions, even where events consistently prove him wrong. But facts should not be bent to support distorted opinions.
“Let me give you one example. The authors write: At an April meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Buhari reportedly requested that the headquarters of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) be moved from Germany to Nigeria so that it would be closer to the fight against jihadi groups in the country’s north”, he said.
Shehu said further that, “President Buhari did not request that AFRICOM move to Nigeria. The transcript of the call with Secretary Blinken is available on the State Department’s own website.
“It’s not just a question of the invented addition of ‘to Nigeria’ with regard to AFRICOM.
It sums up a piece that attempts – subtly but revealingly – to shift facts to suit an argument. Nigeria faces multiple challenges, not least of which is the dissemination of fake news and prejudiced opinion.
“This is something we have come to expect from partisan blogs and politically motivated lobbies. It is still a surprise, and a disappointment, to see them joined by Foreign Affairs.”
