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Breaking: Political intrigue swirls around Buhari as May arrives in Nigeria

Breaking: Political intrigue swirls around Buhari as May arrives in Nigeria New York[RR]Abuja–FCT–Nigeria’s president beset by health questions, defections and disillusioned voters–It is Theresa May’s first visit to Nigeria, but Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian president, has made many trips to the UK over the past two years. However, while May was greeted by drummers and a […]

buhari-and-may

Breaking: Political intrigue swirls around Buhari as May arrives in Nigeria

New York[RR]Abuja–FCT–Nigeria’s president beset by health questions, defections and disillusioned voters–It is Theresa May’s first visit to Nigeria, but Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian president, has made many trips to the UK over the past two years.

However, while May was greeted by drummers and a red carpet, Buhari has kept as low a profile as possible on his UK visits. The septuagenarian president spent three months in London in 2017 on sick leave with an unknown illness thought to be cancer. He was not seen for two months and his aides refused to say what was wrong with him. His deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, ran the country in his absence.

Buhari’s health appears to have improved since, though he almost never speaks to the media so it is difficult to judge.At a joint press conference with Donald Trump in Washington in April, Buhari read his speech from a piece of paper, hardly raising his eyes and appearing frail in stark contrast with Trump’s energetic bombast.

He gave short, artless responses to obviously planted questions from pro-government Nigerian journalists. According to the Financial Times, after their meeting Trump commented that he never wanted to meet someone as “lifeless” as Buhari again. In Abuja with Emmanuel Macron three months later, Buhari looked far better, smiling as he gave apparently unscripted remarks and joked with the French president about his trip to the Fela Kuti shrine.

Since then, however, Buhari has spent 10 days in London, ostensibly on vacation, but speculation was high that he was there to see his doctors.

Political intrigue is thickening ahead of next year’s presidential election. Buhari has announced he will run again, but there has been a spate of defections from his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

May begins Africa trip with nod to rightwing Tories on overseas aid–One of the senators who left is due to announce his intention to run against Buhari in Abuja on Wednesday, attracting large crowds just as May arrives. Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano with many votes behind him, will put himself forward for the main opposition People’s Democratic party (PDP).

Many Nigerians are disillusioned by a lack of progress made by Buhari’s administration. Promises to fight corruption and restore security have not been fully met.

The Guardian revealed last month that thousands of people who had fled Boko Haram were being sent back to the ruins of their houses in unsafe garrison towns, in an apparent attempt to persuade voters that the extremist group has been defeated.

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Also read:

May begins Africa trip with nod to rightwing Tories on overseas aid

PM will recommit to aid budget at 0.7% of GDP but say it has to support UK’s national interest–Theresa May: ‘The challenges facing Africa are not Africa’s alone.’ Photograph: Matt Dunham/AFP/Getty Images

Theresa May will set a condition that the UK ensure its overseas aid spending matches “wider national security priorities” as well as tackling poverty, in a speech due to be delivered in Cape Town as she begins a three-day trip to Africa.

The prime minister will recommit to maintaining the aid budget at 0.7% of GDP, a pledge David Cameron originally made, but will seek to deflect criticism of the level of spending by the right of the Conservative party by saying it has to have a wider political and security purpose.

Hitting the 0.7% aid target was a priority for Cameron to demonstrate his liberal credentials, but it has long been criticized by many on the right of the Tory party, which has repeatedly questioned the level of spending and argued that a proportion of the money should be spent elsewhere.

Although the 0.7% level has been a UN target since 1970, the UK was the first country to hit it in 2013. As a proportion of GDP, Britain is the sixth highest spender in the world, according to figures complied by the OECD.

May is the first prime minister to visit sub-Saharan African since Cameron attended the funeral of Nelson Mandela in 2013. She will meet the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Tuesday before heading to Nigeria and Kenya to meet presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Uhuru Kenyatta.

May will set a target for the UK to become the leading G7 business investor in Africa by 2022 as she seeks to promote a post-Brexit agenda. The prime minister wants the private sector to step up its involvement, calling on Britain to overhaul US investment and stay ahead of France, which under its president, Emmanuel Macron, has sought to build its own position in Africa.

Setting the new target, May will say: “By 2022, I want the UK to be the G7’s number-one investor in Africa, with Britain’s private sector companies taking the lead.

“The challenges facing Africa are not Africa’s alone. It is in the world’s interest to see that those jobs are created, to tackle the causes and symptoms of extremism and instability, to deal with migration flows and to encourage clean growth.”

The prime minister is taking a 28-strong trade delegation with her on her trip, and will emphasise Britain’s position in finance, infrastructure and professional services. Among those traveling with May are the executives of the London Stock Exchange and Standard Chartered, the emerging markets bank.

May will say she wants “to put our development budget and expertise” to support the investment approach because the “private sector has not yet managed to deliver the level of job creation and investment that many African nations need”.

During her trip, May will discuss security cooperation with Buhari and in particular with Kenyatta. She will see British soldiers training Kenyan and other military personnel in the region and dealing with improvised explosive devices made by al-Shabaab in Somalia.

The PM’s speech will also include a warning of what could happen if economic development in Africa fails to progress. She will highlight “the human impacts” ranging from “a loss of faith in free markets and democracy as the best way to secure global growth and human rights, to greater conflict and an increased susceptibility to extremism”.

Credit: AFP, Guardian, AP

 

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