With great fanfare from the Nigerian side, the initial meeting of the US-Nigeria Working Group on the Country of Particular Concern was held on January 23rd in Abuja.
This forum came into place after President Trump made the decision to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, specifically highlighting the attacks against Christians that continue in the Middle Belt of the country, as well as Christian students being abducted from school and then ransomed back to their families. This meeting comes almost a month after the US military launched cruise missiles into Sokoto State to strike militant camps.
One reason why the designation was made is the lack of response from several layers of government, mostly from the Nigerian Federal Government, whenever an incident, whether it’s a kidnapping or an attack, takes place. On some occasions, incidents like what happened to Sunday Jackson occur, where the victim themselves is arrested and prosecuted, and Mr Jackson spent almost a decade on death row waiting to be executed.
We must give President Bola Tinubu a modicum of credit. He didn’t appeal to international media outlets about how unjust the decision by President Trump was. He sought to have a dialogue with Washington. Some will critique the actual motivation behind this decision. It appears that this may be more of an internal move by President Tinubu to shore up his presidency. Some view him as a weak president, not only for his inability to address the myriad security crises within Nigeria but also for his embarrassing attempt to resolve the Niger coup early in his presidency.
So, what will the United States offer Nigeria as a lifeline so that the designation can be repealed? One thing is certain: the criteria for removal will be changed. It will not occur hours before the Secretary of State is due to visit the country. This scenario took place when then Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed Nigeria from the CPC list in 2021.
The joint press release mentions how the US delegation, which was led by Under Secretary Alison Hooker and LT Gen John Brennan, the Deputy Commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), commended the Nigerian Government for taking urgent steps to enhance security for at-risk Christian communities and Nigerians of all faiths whose safety is threatened by violence and terrorism. It is notable that other criminal activities such as kidnappings were omitted from the positive remarks offered by the US delegation.
It should also be noted that earlier this month, the US made a delivery of military equipment to Nigeria to properly equip the Nigerian military. In the past, there were complaints that the military was poorly equipped, underpaid, and had dismal leadership. The change of government and new political and military leadership have not really led to any new strategies to deal with the crisis.
Another decision that was made was to increase cooperation in the security space. Several areas of joint interest were highlighted in the press release. They were enhanced operational collaboration, providing Nigeria access to new and cutting-edge security technology, anti-money laundering measures, countering the financing of terrorism (stopping the payment of ransoms will help), and building law enforcement and investigative capabilities.
One glaring omission is the lack of assistance that could be provided to Nigeria pertaining to criminal prosecutions, such as training prosecutors and developing labs to investigate these crimes.
It also announced that a second session will be held in the United States at an undisclosed time and location. It does make one wonder what is to be expected at the second meeting.