‘Africans Don’t Need us to Bring Anything…We’re Just the Catalyst’: Bureau of African Affairs Head Speaks at Nigerian Embassy

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Ade Adefuye, Africa Society, Bernadette Paolo, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Embassy of Nigeria in US, Goodluck Jonathan, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Nigeria, Peter Tosh, Power Africa, South Sudan, Trade Africa, US - Africa Summit, YALI

Yesterday, the Africa Society hosted Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, at the Embassy of Nigeria.  The event was originally slated for December, but postponed when the Secretary traveled to the Central African Republic to deal with the crisis there. Although I was fatigued from a new job and illness I ventured out in the evening after work to hear if there would be any interesting observations given the recent suspension of Nigeria’s highly suspected Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi, state criminalization of homosexuality in Nigeria, and the appearance of increasing autocracy from Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

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‘The Assurance I Will Give You Here’….Attahiru Jega, Nigeria Electoral Commission Chair at CSIS

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Ambassador Campbell, Attahiru Jega, Brookings Institution, CSIS Africa Program, elections in Africa, Ford Foundation, Goodluck Jonathan, INEC Nigeria, Johnnie Carson, Kingsley Moghalu, Nigeria, Nigeria election, NYSC

CSIS launched its Nigeria Election Forum, with support from the Ford Foundation, yesterday on the theme of ‘Preparing for Nigeria’s 2015 Elections: Key Challenges and Priorities.’  Attahiru Jega, the Chair of Nigeria’s Electoral Comission (INEC) was the keynote speaker and took up well over half of the allotted two hours.  A panel of Nigerian civil society activists followed, alas I had to return to work and was not able to hear their remarks.

DMV Nigerians Rally for President Goodluck Jonathan

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DMV Nigerians, Goodluck Jonathan, GSG USA, Nigeria, Nigeria elections, Nigerian Politics, PDP, Sllver Spring

Browsing the web this weekend, I discovered a Facebook page, as well as a website for a ‘Goodluck Support Group USA – DC/MD/VA’.  With elections due in Nigeria next year, Goodluck Jonathan’s party the, People’s Democratic Party, has been rocked by a wave of prominent defections and the abrupt resignation of its Chairman.  On the international scene, Jonathan has been widely criticized for signing anti-gay legislation.

It certainly seems like Jonathan is in need of some support and good luck.  I don’t see too many specifics on the support group, but they plan to host a politics and pancakes breakfast, hold mobilization meetings, and a town hall gathering in June (which as the Sierra Leone government learned in Silver Spring, has the potential to backfire).  They are also soliciting volunteers.

Brookings on Conflicts in Africa: Nigeria, Somalia, and Central African Republic

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Amadou Sy, Boko Haram, Central Africa Republic, ethnic cleansing Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, John Campbell, Mali, MEND, Nigeria, Somalia, Vanda Felbab-Brown

From L: the Moderator, Sy, Campbell, Felbab-Brown

Yesterday I popped in for about half of a session at the Brookings Institution on ‘The State of Conflict and Prospects for Peace in Africa.’  Panelists included Vanda Felbab-Brown and Amadou Sy of the Brookings Institution and Amb. John Campbell of the Council on Foreign Relations.  The panelists focused on sources of instability in Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria.  The moderator was also slated to speak briefly on the Democratic Republic of the Congo but I left in advance of his remarks.  Mali was not on the agenda, showing how much things can change in a year.

Reagan Fascell Democracy Fellow Abdulrazaq Alkali on Nigerian Governance, Human Rights, and Culture

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Abdulrazaq Alkali, African youth, Dave Peterson NED, Goodluck Jonathan, Jerry Rawlings on Nigeria, Kano, National Endowment for Democracy Congo, Nigeria, Nigerian national unity, Occupy Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, Reagan Fascell Democracy Fellows, YOSPIS

Saturday afternoon I sat down with Abdulrazaq Alkali, a Reagan – Fascell Democracy Fellow of the National Endowment for Democracy.  Mr. Alkali gave me several hours of his time, you can also hear him speak on “Strengthening Youth Participation in Nigeria” at NED’s office this Wednesday.

SAIS, CSIS & the Embassy of Niger Tackle Governance & Security in the Sahel

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Algeria, Amadou Toumani Touré, AQIM, CSIS, Goodluck Jonathan, Libya, Mali, Maman Sidikou, Niger, Sahel, SAIS

I made it to the final of the 4 panels that SAIS’ “Governance and Security in the Sahelian States: From Crisis to Sustainable Recovery” Conference convened over the past two days (disclaimer – I left at the tail end of the Q&A).

The panel had a strong DC flavor, as it included Jennifer Cooke of CSIS, the Ambassador of Niger, Maman Sidikou, and John Paden, a professor at George Mason.  The lone foreign interloper was Hugh Roberts, a professor at Tufts who was also a regional interloper as he is a North African (Algeria) specialist.

Jennifer Cooke got things started,