By and large, President Muhammadu Buhari’s outing at the press conference with US President Donald Trump last week was good diplomacy, in as much as it earned him the plaudits that would be useful for 2019.
I think President Buhari acted like a typical Fulani man: looking calm, reserved and unassuming on the outside, but full of tricks and cunning and can unleash cannons when it matters most, to get what he wants
Buhari fed Trump’s ego well, to get what he wanted- more weapons of war, technical and intelligence support in the war against Boko Haram, accolades from the US leader, and a strategic move to earn early endorsement from the US for his 2019 second term bid.
I think President Buhari acted like a typical Fulani man: looking calm, reserved and unassuming on the outside, but full of tricks and cunning and can unleash cannons when it matters most, to get what he wants.
No wonder, people of this ethnic stock are deft in the art of playing what has become known as the Nigerian politics, on their way to political ascension.
Buhari is a bag of tricks. He understood the kind of person President Trump is and did well in massaging his ego. He praised him repeatedly for selling the Turcano jets and for helping in the training of soldiers and intelligence sharing, thus luring the POTUS, who enjoys such open cuddling and praises, to do more. The Nigerian leader had in mind, more weapons, more buying of Nigerian oil which had dropped by half and more American involvement in the democratic process as the 2019 elections approach.
He heaped praises on Trump for his peace efforts in the Korean Peninsula and for making the agreement between North and South Korea on denuclearisation possible- the exact words a POTUS would love to hear from world leaders at the moment. After those words, Trump, blushing, was clearly overwhelmed and had fallen in love with the Nigerian President.
Buhari’s boldness and frankness in handling the American media right beside Trump showed how smart he was. First, he wondered why the question of what he felt about what American soldiers were doing on Nigerian soil should be asked, stressing that it was not unusual for an old ally to be on ground only for training and technical assistance. He then parried the question of Trump’s alleged reference to Africa as shithole, saying he had no evidence his host ever said it and lampooned the media for their capacity to lie against presidents, citing himself as an example of negative media narrative. This was a familiar tone, which struck a chord with Trump’s fake news rhetoric.
As Trump insisted on Nigeria opening its borders and relaxing its stringent food/agric rules for more American goods to come in and address the trade imbalances that favour Nigeria, Buhari simply looked away, to the right and to the left, smiling and keeping mum on the issue. Mentioning his fledgling local agricultural revolution, which would be hampered by Trump’s request for removing the import barriers and allowing more inflow of American products, at that point, might sink his plans. So, Buhari simply played down Trump’s bullying tactic. Both leaders wanted to have their way.
In the end, the US president returned the gesture, showering Buhari and Nigeria with praises. He said Buhari was a strong leader who had succeeded in subduing Boko Haram and reducing the massive corruption reputation of Nigeria. For Trump, Nigeria was one of the “world’s beauties”, which he might visit soon. He, however, warned that America would not accept killing of Christians in Nigeria.
The entire episode in the Oval Office and at the Rose Garden of the White House sounded like a rare gifting by Trump, of momentous intervals which would line the campaign jingles of Buhari and the the ruling All Progressives Congress from the second half of this year.
Buhari played the ‘smart mugu’ in a typical Fulani way to penetrate the heart of the West through the US, with the full understanding that an American endorsement will translate, ultimately, to western and global endorsement. After this meeting with Trump, particularly after the direct warning against “herdsmen’s” killing of Christians,
the trajectory in Nigeria might change for the better, in view of the fact that Buhari heeds global advice more than he hears the voice of his
own people.
*Professor Folarin teaches Political Science at Covenant University, Otta, Ogun State