The outgoing United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, has praised President Muhammadu Buhari’s record in the last one year...
The outgoing United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, has praised President Muhammadu Buhari’s record in the last one year, saying the administration has done well on the economy, fight against corruption and insecurity, given the circumstances it inherited.
Mr. Entwistle will be leaving Nigeria at the end of July, ahead of his retirement from the U.S. Foreign service, after a career spanning 35 and half years.
He told a select group of media representatives, on Friday that considering the very difficult situation Mr. Buhari inherited, the president did well in his first one year in office.
The envoy, who drew a parallel between President Obama and President Buhari, said although it was understandable for Nigerians to have high expectations of change, they, like the American people, should be patient with the administration.
“I see a parallel between President Buhari and President Obama. President Obama had not been in office very long before the people had the same kind of impatience. A lot of people forgot what difficult situation President Obama inherited,” Mr. Entwistle said.
“I think the same thing is happening to President Buhari. It is completely understandable for the people to have high expectations. They are impatient, because they want to see change. But, the president inherited very difficult circumstances.
“Some of the things he identified that needed to be done, like ending corruption, reforms in the petroleum sector, ending of the conflict in the North East, are things that even when you work as hard as you can, they are going to take some time to yield the kind of result you expect. People should be patient.
“I have been warmly received in every corner of this country. I have no unpleasant experience in Nigeria. I will leave here having enjoyed every minute of my time as U.S. Ambassador. I will leave here with a great sense of satisfaction, because I believe the relationships between our two countries are in very good shape at the moment. Nigeria and U.S. have a partnership of two great democracies working together to make the world a better place,” he said.
He said the experience he would never forget was last year’s presidential election process, which brought President Buhari to power, saying it was the most inspirational thing he was proud to be associated with in his over 35 years career.
“The way the Nigerian people made clear that this time they wanted their votes to count and would accept nothing less. I felt very proud. That’s something I will carry in my heart for ever. It’s up to Nigerians to ensure that 2019 is even better,”
