Why the U.S. should care about Nigeria’s troubles

This editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Nigeria is in a mess; it is fair to say the country that is Africa’s largest economy, with Africa’s largest population of 190 million, is always in trouble, but the problems this time are considerably greater than normal in recent years.

The chaos caused in the northeast by Boko Haram is more under control than it has sometimes been in the past. At the same time, this state of affairs has been brought about by sometimes brutal Nigerian military action, including the burning of villages. The disruption caused by Boko Haram and the Nigerian military has led to famine through unplanted crops. That’s No. 1.

The second problem is continued unrest in Nigeria’s oilproducing region in the southeast, in the Niger River delta, making the country’s overall economic situation acute given its dependence on oil for legal and illegal revenue.

No. 3 is local, in a sense, but also national. Nigeria built a new capital in the 1980s at Abuja in the centre of the country. It built an airport at Abuja but severely neglected maintenance to the point that its runways are now unusable.

The fourth problem is the health of President Muhammadu Buhari. He has just returned from two months of treatment in London and it appears he will not be in much of a position to lead the country in addressing its other problems.

Nigeria’s size, the importance of its role in Africa and its relatively important trading relationship with the United States make it a useful partner in a frequently troubled Africa. Nigeria shouldn’t need American aid, but the United States should stay close to it as it makes its way through its problems.