More than two centuries after independence, Americans are so accustomed to democratic elections that we almost take them for granted. Citizens throughout West Africa see elections far differently. Last week, I accompanied Senator Coons on his official visit to Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana, and we had the opportunity to witness democracy in transition.
Chris, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, traveled with Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia, and the first leg of the trip was to the cities of Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria.
In Abuja, Chris visited with newly re-elected Vice President Sambo and congratulated him on Nigeria’s recent presidential elections. International observers, including a high-level delegation from the United States, declared the elections free and fair and validated the accuracy of the final results.
In his meeting with the Nigerian Vice President, Chris addressed U.S.-Nigeria trade relations and expressed his hope for continued bilateral cooperation. The Vice President and the two visiting senators also discussed Nigeria’s peacekeeping role in Africa, including the potential for Nigerian forces to help maintain peace between North and South Sudan following the South’s independence next month. Vice President Sambo thanked his guests for American assistance to Nigeria and made note of a grant supplied by the United States to improve his country’s electricity supply.
In a separate meeting, both senators praised Independent National Election Commission (INEC) Chairman Attahiru Jega for his leadership during the successful voter registration and elections process. Professor Jega is widely credited with ensuring that the elections were conducted safely and openly, with a fair accounting of the votes cast. Also while in Abuja, Chris sat down with the Chief Imam of the National Mosque, Ustaz Musa Mohammed, and Catholic Archbishop Dr. John Onaiyekan for a discussion of the role of religion in Nigerian politics.
In my next post, I’ll share stories from Chris’ visit with our incredible Peace Corps volunteers in Benin and about the impact they are having on that country.