Ms Robin Renèe Sanders 2011 is Transformative for Nigeria

Published on Saturday 10th July 2010

United States ambassador to Nigeria Ms Robin Renèe Sanders has urged the Nigerian government and Nigerians to muster enough political will to make democracy work by ensuring free and fair elections next year.

She also said the Federal Government is free to initiate a legal case against companies such as Halliburton who have been heavily fined by the US for giving bribes to Nigerian public officials in order to secure contracts.

Sanders was responding to questions posed by THISDAY Editors when she visited the company. She was received at the Ikoyi residence of THISDAY Chairman Nduka Obaigbena.

According to the US ambassador, the voters and politicians in Nigeria should do the right thing by choosing their candidates and show they are committed to democracy.

She sees her country's offer of technical assistance as no sufficient guarantee for free and fair elections, stressing the need for adequate political will from all participants in the process which "must have to be enforced by someone down the line."

"It is your election. It is your voice and your choice and all about voting for a change that would make Nigeria strong and vibrant.

"We provided technical assistance in 2007 and we're providing a lot of technical assistance now 2011 is a transformative time for Nigeria. You've got to have the political will to get to a point where a lot of things would happen in a sustainable manner."

She confirmed that the visa of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation Mr. Michael Aondoakaa was revoked but refused to go into details because of what she termed privacy reasons.

Her words: "Yes, we revoked the visa and that's how it was, the rest is a privacy issue. I won't go into the details of why there was a visa revocation."

On whether Nigeria should receive part of the $338 million fine which a US court ordered Technip to pay, in respect of the $180 million bribe allegedly paid to unnamed senior government officials by Halliburton, Sanders said she is not sure why it is a question.

"The department of justice has executed the case and they were fined after criminal charges Nigeria's attorney-general is at liberty to pursue his own case against the companies," said Sanders.

Speaking on the blacklisting of Nigeria by the US after the attempted downing of a Detroit-bound Delta Airliner by Umaru Farouk Abdulmutallab last December, the ambassador said the issue has been resolved amicably noting that it was not a policy targeted at Nigeria.

"The type of policy we had that time was not a nationality designated one. I and my staff had to go through the same security check as well. It was not a nationality designation and unfortunately that is how it is viewed here. It is a worldwide policy and we had a number of meetings with Nigerian aviation authorities to enforce safety regulations." she explained.

On whether US President Barrack Obama has any plan to visit Nigeria in the near future, she explained that she does not have the president's future itinerary but recalled that Obama and President Goodluck Jonathan met in April and held fruitful discussions.

She recalled the speech of the US president where he stated the importance of Nigeria on the world scene including the leadership role the country has to play on the African continent.

"They talked about credible election, development and moving forward. We have respect for the leadership role of Nigeria on the continent and you're now a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. We want the best for Nigeria because you are one of our best friends," Sanders said.

On Nigeria's quest to become a permanent member of the UN, she said that the US currently supports article 23 of the world body which outlines the steps to becoming a permanent member.

The ambassador also spoke on the US/Nigeria Bi-National Commission, explaining that the working group on the Niger Delta would meet soon. On food security and agriculture, she stated that the "US is doing a lot towards food security and Nigeria is one of the recipients of the largest food security programmes that we have and this year, $25 million will be worked out as the year goes forward," she said.