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WORLD NEWS Monday 30 april 2018

Trump finally hosts African leader at the White House

By SAM OLUKOYA Pham, director of the Atlan- Lagos, and the northern
Associated Press tic Council’s Africa Center, city of Kano and between
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — After said in a blog post on Thurs- Port Harcourt in the oil-rich
more than a year in office, day, saying Buhari’s admin- Niger Delta and the north-
President Donald Trump for istration has taken a “much ern city of Maiduguri — the
the first time is hosting an Af- more decisive approach” birthplace of Boko Haram.
rican president at the White to Boko Haram. China, the top investor in
House. The meeting with Buhari, facing elections ear- Nigeria, already is deep
Nigerian President Muham- ly next year, is under pres- into similar infrastructure
madu Buhari on Monday sure to deliver on promises work in the country.
comes after an uncom- to defeat Boko Haram that Officials in Buhari’s delega-
fortable start to the Trump helped him win office in tion also will try to strike a
administration’s approach 2015 in a rare democratic deal with U.S. aircraft man-
to the world’s second most transfer of power in Nigeria. ufacturer Boeing for a new
populous continent. Secu- In addition to seeking great- state-owned airline project
rity and economic issues In this Friday, May 29, 2015 file photo, Nigerian President er security collaboration, that Nigeria’s junior avia-
top the agenda for the bi- Muhammadu Buhari arrives for his Inauguration at the eagle Buhari and Trump also will tion minister, Hadi Sirika, has
lateral meeting and work- square in Abuja, Nigeria. “discuss ways to enhance said will be the largest in Af-
ing lunch. Nigeria, Africa’s Associated Press the strategic partnership rica. Nigerian officials are
most populous country with people have been killed. pected to seek further U.S. between the two countries also expected to explore
almost 200 million people, is Mass abductions of school- military assistance. Already and to advance shared pri- financing arrangements
the largest economy on the girls brought Boko Haram the Trump administra- orities, such as promoting with the Export-Import Bank
continent and the leading international notoriety and tion has made a $600 mil- economic growth,” the Ni- of the United States and
crude oil exporter. Buhari one faction has declared lion deal to supply military gerian presidential spokes- the U.S. Overseas Private In-
was one of the first two Af- allegiance to the Islamic planes and security equip- man, Femi Adesina, said in vestment Corporation.
rican leaders Trump called State group. ment, one that was stalled a statement. While Nigeria seeks closer
after he took power, along Boko Haram is now active under the Obama adminis- Nigerian newspapers re- military and security ties
with South Africa’s presi- in neighboring Cameroon, tration because of allega- port that a team of govern- with the U.S., it can’t over-
dent. Nigeria is also one Niger and Chad and pos- tions that Nigeria’s military ment officials that travelled look the difficult moments
of Africa’s most troubled es one of the most severe has been involved in hu- to the U.S. ahead of Buhari since Trump came to pow-
when it comes to extrem- security threats to West Af- man rights including rape have signed an agreement er — not least Trump’s firing
ism. Extremist group Boko rica’s vast Sahel region. and extrajudicial killings. to provide four companies of former Secretary of State
Haram launched a violent With Nigeria nowhere close “Absent clear evidence of led by General Electric the Rex Tillerson just hours after
insurgency in the northeast to fully defeating Boko a systematically abusive opportunity to invest an esti- Tillerson came to Nigeria on
nine years ago with the aim Haram despite government regime, moral preening is mated $2 billion to modern- the highest-level U.S. visit
of creating an Islamic state, claims of having “crushed” of little utility in dealing with ize key railways between to Africa since Trump took
and tens of thousands of the extremists, Buhari is ex- situations like this,” J. Peter Nigeria’s commercial hub, office.q