SPEECHES AND PROGRAMS

TRANSCRIPT:

Rule of Law Is Crucial To Survival of Democracy in Nigeria — Campbell

New Nigerian Weekly 17 - 03 - 2007

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The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Honorable John Campbell attended a two-day international conference in Kaduna on the preservation of Nigeria’s scholarly, literary traditions and Arabic’s manuscript heritage.  The conference was jointly organized by Arewa House and the United States Embassy in Nigeria. In an exclusive interview with SHITTU OBASSA, shortly before the commencement of the conference, the Ambassador fielded questions.

NNW: Can you tell us about your educational background and working experience before assuming office in Nigeria?

Campbell: Thank you very much. I attended the University of Virginia as an undergraduate, where I studied European History, and thereafter pursued doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin, again in European History.  It was at Wisconsin that I first became interested in Africa. In those days – we are talking about the late 1960s – the University of Wisconsin was a centre for African studies in the United States. There was a great deal of interest, for example, in how to make use of African oral traditions as a historical source. So, while I was there studying European history, I was surrounded by people who were both teaching and studying African History, which at that point, was really very exciting.  That’s when I first became really interested in Africa. After completing my studies at Wisconsin, I taught for five years at a small university in Virginia. Then, I entered the American diplomatic service, and was posted first to France, and then later to Switzerland, then to Nigeria for the first time, South Africa, lots of assignment in Washington, and now I am back home again, in a certain sense, since I spent almost three years here in the late 1980s when the Embassy was in Lagos. 

What informed your choice of career?

Actually, believe it or not, being a diplomat, and being a professor are somewhat similar.  Both professions put a great deal of emphasis on trying to really understand what’s going on, and then to articulate what that understanding is to other people, either orally or in writing. So, it was not such a great big jump as it might seem. There is a phrase often used in America, "the past is another country." Well, okay, as you explore the past, you are exploring different ways people thought about things – that’s what diplomats do. We explore different countries.  We try to understand the different ways other people think about things.

What qualifies one to be in the diplomatic service?

For Americans, the way to go into our diplomatic service is basically only one way.  You take a competitive examination, and there are no particular degree requirements.  You have to be 21 years’ old, and you have to be an American citizen.  That examination has a fair amount of emphasis on American history, literature, and culture. The idea being that if you are going to represent the United States, you need to know something about the country, so that you can articulate your own experiences.

Given your own wealth of experience, what is your world view as a diplomat?

In terms of a world view, it would be that: the world is getting smaller and smaller, more and more interdependent. And, throughout the world, there is an increasing desire for the development of democratic institutions.  When we talk about the world getting smaller and smaller, one of the little facts that I like to cite is this: there are at least a million Nigerians, who now live in the United States. There are at least a million Nigerians who have had some significant American educational experience, who live in Nigeria.   So, you have a million people on each side of the Atlantic, who have the closest of bonds between the two nations.  You could multiply that reality many fold all around the world – and that’s what I mean when I said the world is getting smaller.
What can you say easily turn you off in your calling?

The biggest down side is that when you are in the diplomatic service, you are obviously living away from your extended family for long periods of time. For example my father died during my first stay in Nigeria, so I was not with him when he died. My mother died when I was preparing to come to Nigeria the second time, but, I was privileged to be there at the time she died.  So, if you are going to live out side your own country in order to represent it, it means that you are away from your extended family and friends. You are not away however, from your immediate family. For example at our mission in Abuja, and our Consulate in Lagos, people who are married are almost always accompanied by their spouses and by their own children.

What really turns you on?

What really turns me on is the opportunity to learn about different places, and to interact with different people. Let me give you a concrete example.  There is in Nigeria an absolutely superb tradition of very fine painting. Well, it is not as well known as it deserves to be. But, by having come to Nigeria, I’ve been exposed to it, and I now have a small collection of paintings by contemporary Nigerian artists of which I’m very proud.

We’re in the transition from civilian to civilian rule which is stimulating serious interest in the international community. How do you see it?

It is of historical importance to the world.  The transfer of power from one civilian democratic government to another in the largest country in Africa, by far the largest country in Africa, is an important step for the entire continent.  What I like to say is that Nigeria and America are fellow pilgrims on the road to democracy conducted by the rule of law.  It’s a pilgrimage. Democracy is an ideal; it is something you are always striving for, it is a journey.  It is not something that you achieve, and then you don’t have to worry about it again.  It is something that you always have to work on.

We’ve been working at it for a longer period of time than Nigeria.  Our first elections occurred in my own home state in 1619. Nevertheless, all of us are conscious of the fact that there are still problems to solve; there is still a way to go. What we want to do is to celebrate the progress that Nigeria is making; to assist Nigeria in that pilgrimage, where Nigeria asks for assistance.  But also, to learn from the Nigerian experience, where Nigerians are addressing issues which we also have to address.

I know you delivered a lecture in Zaria in respect of your experiences and probably your impression about how we are trying to embrace those values that you people cherish over there. Can you use this opportunity to further expatiate on the philosophy of Dr. King and Justice Marshal?

Dr. King has become one of the genuine heroes for Americans.  Why?  He is the person, who was able to articulate that the racism that had characterized American life was fundamentally contrary to what it meant to be American. In other worlds, by being racist, we were being less than American. He was able to put this into a context and a vocabulary that was essentially religious. Americans and Nigerians have in common, a profoundly religious tradition.

So, what he was able to do almost in a prophetic way was to call Americans to be themselves. Now what Thurgood Marshal did was in a sense complementary. His approach was that the law is the fundamental instrument of social change.

On the one hand you had Martin Luther King, who emphasized the importance of non-violent protest. To Dr. King, violence was never ever acceptable. The other side to that was Thurgood Marshall’s teaching that the way you right wrongs is through the law. So, the two complement each other very well.

Now that the transition is gathering momentum, what kind of assistance are you offering to ensure we land safely?

It can really be divided into three parts. The first is that we are providing some 15 million dollars in assistance through three NGOs, which in turn work with Nigerian NGOs on issues such as voter education, the training of poll watchers, and providing expertise to INEC.  So, that’s very concrete, very practical.

Secondly, the Embassy in its outreach emphasizes the importance of the development of democracy in Nigeria, not just for Nigeria, but for Africa and in the rest of the world.

Thirdly, and this really doesn’t have much to do with the American government at all, but it is profoundly American. There are Americans who will come to Nigeria as part of private organizations to observe the elections, but they would be completely independent of the American government, they would be completely independent of the Embassy.

Do you see disqualification of candidates as being imperative for a credible electoral process?

Qualification or disqualification of candidates is an issue which any country has to address itself.  My concern would be that the processes always follow the rule of law, and that it would always be transparent.

We are seeing a novel situation on our own hands. Have you had any instance where an American president openly disagreed with his deputy?

Yes we have. I suppose one of the most famous cases involved the differences between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson being one of our founding fathers.  But it has been even more recent than that.  For example Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected four times as President of the United States, disagreed at one time or another with virtually all of his vice presidents, and replaced them each time (general laughter).  Each time he came up for re-election, he chose a different person as vice president.

Some people say this type of disagreement between Mr. President and Vice-President oils the engine of democracy. To what extent would you agree with this assertion, knowing fully well national security could be at risk?

Again, the issue is transparency, freedom of expression, all done within the framework of the rule of law. Nigerians are like Americans, they say exactly what they think (general laughter).

Poverty is one cardinal issue to take seriously and also the fight against HIV/AIDS is another issue.  What assistance do you offer Nigerians to ensure these things are reduced to a bearable level?

With HIV/AIDS, if I can start with that, in the coming year, we would be spending a bit more than two hundred and seventy million dollars in support of efforts by the Nigerian government, and also Nigerian NGOs. The ultimate goal would be to have 350,000 people who are suffering from HIV/AIDS on treatment, to provide care for those who have been victimized by the disease, I am thinking here of orphans, for whom both parents have died of the disease.

And we are working very closely with our Nigerian partners on preventing the disease through public education.

Very often the cause of death for a person suffering from HIV/AIDS is tuberculosis or malaria. So, we are also working with our Nigerian partners in support of what they are trying to do in caring for people stricken with tuberculosis and malaria.

In terms of the elimination of poverty, there are formal programs.  Just to take a couple that to me are interesting – the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), which is based in Ibadan has come up with a variety of cassava that is resistant to Mosaic disease. So, we have a program in which we assist Nigerian farmers in shifting to this new type of cassava. It is an interesting kind of cooperation.  It involves the Nigerian government.  It also involves the UN of which the international institute is a part, and our government. That’s one example.

A second example is that at our Consulate in Lagos, we attempt to assist Nigerians interested in exporting to the United States by identifying niches where what Nigeria produces has a comparative advantage over any other part of the world. An example is Gum Arabic.  Gum Arabic is produced in northern Nigeria, and is of higher quality and produced more cheaply than virtually any other place.  Therefore, Gum Arabic is a product where Nigerian exporters will enjoy an advantage in the American market.  It is of high quality and this is the kind of product enables Nigeria to enjoy a comparative advantage in the United States.

This is the kind of development assistance that is increasing the focus of what we do as opposed to building dams, building roads – that kind of thing – these huge infrastructure projects.

What about the question on poverty?

Well, of course, the more Nigeria’s economy develops and expands, that has a direct impact of reducing poverty.

Do you assist the civil society organizations to enjoy some support from your government?

Yes we do. In fact much of what we do in Nigeria, we do through NGOs, through civil society.  The role of the civil society to my mind is enormously important, and it is one of those links that ties our two countries together. For example, the Nigerian Bar Association has links with the American Bar Association, and the National Bar Association in the United States.

I saw where the Nigerian Bar Association is providing  twenty thousand (20,000) election observers. The relationship between the Bar Association in Nigeria and the Bar Associations in the United States has nothing to do with the American government at all, and yet it is the kind of relationship which strengthens the bonds between the two countries.  And also, with the Nigerian Bar Association playing a role in the elections, it is directly promoting democracy.

How do you in the international community view the utterances of Mr. President recently which were meant to be campaign rhetoric, but viewed seriously when he said the forth-coming election is a do or die affair for him and his party – PDP?

Well, electoral rhetoric is something which we Americans are very familiar with.  How Nigerians responded to what Mr. President said is best left to Nigerians.  We Americans have no particular view.

In 2005 you were privileged to visit Sokoto. And during your visit you were able to visit the collections of late Waziri Junaid and what you saw was an eye-opener to you in the richness of our culture using Arabic to communicate our local language. Today you’re supporting an effort to preserve and digitize that mode of communication. It appears you people are going to see the other side of Islam, aren’t you?

Absolutely. When you say my visit to Sokoto was an eye opener - that is exactly right. What did I see?  I saw examples of magnificent calligraphy, the sheer beauty of writing. But secondly - now here I need help from other people because I don’t unfortunately read Arabic – It was a window into Islamic culture in this part of Africa, which I think is terribly important to share with the rest of the world.

That is why in my view - these collections in northern Nigeria, also in Mali, also in Niger are of world historical importance.  You know, we have in America some 7 million members of the Islamic faith.  So, more Americans are becoming more familiar with Islam than would have been the case, 30, 40, or 50 years ago. 

There is a depth of interest there that is increasingly important.  My point is that the Islamic manuscripts that I saw are beautiful, but the importance at the deepest level is that they provide a window into a culture that can add richness to our own.

The whole idea of preservation and digitalization might sound quite laudable, but some people who are a bit conservative might say as aliens you are going into an area where these things might be used as a form of administration in the hitherto powerful caliphate and you know people have some secret which they hide behind such writings. What assurances are you giving such people that all is well after wards?

It is a very good question.  The first point is that our interest is in supporting the activities of organizations such as Arewa House that are taking the lead in this matter.

Secondly, our own view is that manuscripts and manuscript collections should not be removed from where they are. They should be discovered, find out where they are first, then catalogued, and then if they are digitized, the text becomes available to scholars worldwide. There is no question of changing the custody of what is in fact a part of Nigeria’s national patrimony.

What are your major expectations from the presentations on the theme of this conference?

Sharing ideas and raising consciousness - those are the two.   There are experts here from the Library of Congress, there are experts here from Timbuktu, and there are many Nigerian experts here.  This would be a case of pulling knowledge, information, and ideas, and all of us who participated, will end up being the richer for it.

Finally I would want you to give us a word or advice again in our own medium, because as you know election fever has caught up with virtually everybody both the low and high?

I wouldn’t presume to give advice to Nigeria. Nigeria is as I said before a fellow pilgrim on the road to democracy.   Nigeria moves on that road in a way that reflects Nigeria’s own history and experience.  My own personal view is that when we are talking about the journey towards democracy, the rule of law is an essential component.  And with the rule of law comes transparency.

It’s my pleasure Sir having you on this interview.

Thank you very much.