22 March 2002

Emir of Kano Condemns Terrorism at Washington Discussion

Washington -- The emir of Kano in Nigeria, Alhaji Ado Bayero, has expressed his deepest sympathy and support to the United States for the devastating terror attacks that took place against the country on September 11, 2001.

At a discussion in Washington on March 22, sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the emir and Nigerian Ambassador to the United States Jibril Muhammad Aminu also reviewed areas of close cooperation between the United States and Nigeria.

In his comments on terrorism, Bayero was referring to the September 11 hijacking of commercial aircraft by Muslim terrorists who crashed the planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the U.S. Defense Department's headquarters at the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 people. An additional commercial aircraft hijacked by terrorists, which many believe was bound for Washington, crashed into the ground in Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board.

"Islam is against terrorism," the emir strongly emphasized. He spoke about the wrongful nature of attacking and killing people, especially in the name of Islam.

Bayero personally thanked President Bush and the people of the United States for fighting terrorism worldwide. "We appreciate what the United States is doing to deal with terrorism," he said.

Bayero and Ambassador Aminu also called for greater cooperation between the United States and Nigeria, especially in areas of trade and investment. "It is the responsibility of the United States to cooperate with Africa," Aminu said.

The ambassador also spoke of the coalitions between Nigeria and other African states and between Africa and the United States. He said that the coalitions work to inform people about terrorism and to fight against the evils of terrorism.

Nigerian programs can be particularly effective, Aminu noted, when done in cooperation with the United States. He asked for additional U.S. funding for badly needed programs in education, health, housing, and HIV/AIDS.

The audience the emir and the ambassador addressed was a CSIS Working Group on Nigeria, co-chaired by David Throup, the senior associate with the CSIS Africa Program, and Peter Lewis of American University. The group meets to discuss a variety of issues, including political, economic, religious, and human rights and the military's role in Nigeria's evolving political scene. The group plans to meet once a month to talk about the important role Nigeria plays as a hegemonic power in its region.

Addressing the group, Throup reminded them that "Nigeria is an important energy source for the United States, supplying approximately 8 to 10 percent of U.S. imports, especially sweet, light crude oil." On the subject of peacekeeping, Throup credited Nigeria for making "significant progress" in bringing peace to the region, especially with regard to Sierra Leone and Liberia.

"As the largest democracy in Africa, Nigerian relations with the U.S. are likely to remain close," he said, but he cautioned that "the democratic transition remains fragile."

Conflict between Nigeria's federal government and the states and between the executive and the legislative branches of government does not inspire confidence in the upcoming elections, he warned, and "such conflict demonstrates the need for continuing U.S. engagement."

Throup stressed that the Bush administration should monitor events in Nigeria closely and encourage close involvement between the two countries.