Today @POTUS announced that @JohnKerry will lead the U.S. Presidential Delegation to the inauguration of President-elect Buhari of #Nigeria.
— Department of State (@StateDept) May 18, 2015
The White House said the other members of the US delegation would be announced in the coming days, but there are speculations that some senior members of the U.S. Congress, including Christopher Smith, Chairman of the US House of Representatives Sub Committee on Africa, may attend the event.
Having U.S delegations attend presidential inaugurations of friendly nations is not unusual, however, these are typically led by the U.S Ambassador in that country. It is only on rare occasions that senior diplomats and public officials are picked by the U.S president to attend such events, in order to send strong signals underscoring the importance placed on such countries at such times.
Apart from being Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria is also Africa’s biggest democracy and the world’s most populated black nation. This may explain the strong interest in its peaceful transition.
Beyond this, Africa’s economic renaissance continues to attract the developed world, mostly from Europe and China, but the U.S will be keen on taking a front-row seat in this renewed attraction.
By Emmanuel Iruobe