Former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell, who predicted that Nigeria may not survive as a nation after the 2011 elections, has been denied visa to Nigeria, the Associated Press quoted foreign ministry officials as saying Wednesday.
Campbell had raised concerns over the stability of Nigeria and even written several articles and a book doubting the ability of the country to survive as a single entity.
He was said to be on his way to attend the graduation ceremony of Abti University, Yola, owned by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar who failed in his presidential bid early this year.
He was appointed to serve in Nigeria by former President George W. Bush and served from May 20, 2004 to November 1, 2007.
A spokesman for the Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Damian Agu, told AP that the mission in Washington, D.C. refused former ambassador John Campbell a visa to Nigeria.
Agu said Campbell “did not meet the visa requirements”. However, he did not cite his written opinions as reason for visa denial.
Campbell is now a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
His book entitled “Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink” is critical of the country’s political class and his articles have raised concerns that members of a radical Muslim sect active in Nigeria’s Northeast could form ties with al-Qaeda.
An article by Campbell published September last year said the 2011 elections in Nigeria posed a threat to the stability of the US most important partner in West Africa.
In his view, the end of a power-sharing arrangement between “the Muslim North and the Christian South” could lead to post-election sectarian violence, paralysis of the executive branch, and even a coup.
“The Obama administration has little leverage over the conduct and outcome of the elections – and if the vote does lead to chaos, Washington may no longer be able to count on Nigerian partnership in addressing African regional and security issues such as the conflicts in Darfur, Southern Sudan, and Somalia,” Campbell said.
According to him, the Nigerian military still regards itself as the ultimate guarantor of the country’s security, and most political elites agree and in the event of post-election sectarian violence and a political breakdown, it could intervene if the civilian government loses control.
“The army, given its history, could move quickly, and unlike in Kenya following the 2007 post-election crisis, there would probably be little time for the international community to try to facilitate a political settlement,” he said, ending his write up by stating that this time around Nigeria may not be able to pull back from the brink.
After the presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the presidential election, he wrote articles insinuating that there was rigging as well as bribery.
On Nigerians and visa, he wrote on page 123 of his book: “Successful visa fraud carries little shame in Nigeria. Nigerians firmly believe that immigration is a fundamental human right and that American visa requirements are a game to be won like any other, by guile, humour, stealth, and even by divine intervention, if necessary. More than once at church on a Sunday morning, I heard a variation of the following prayer: ‘O Lord, soften the heart of the American Ambassador here among us so that our brother Joshua may obtain a visa to go to New York so he can support his family here’.”