Congressman Tom Marino rips off Buhari’s shirt

There is a kind of letter you would not want your dad to receive from your head teacher, especially when you know he is making some sacrifice to keep you in that elite school.

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, literally and figuratively, got that kind of letter from Congressman Tom Marino, who represents Pennsylvania in Congress. Marino has asked his country to withhold any assistance until President Buhari shows signs of inclusive government and commitment to the basic tenets of democracy.

Make no mistake about it: this letter could delay many things – from the returning of loots back to Nigeria, assistance to IDPs to the fight against insurgents.

And this is coming when everyone thought the Americans had fallen in love with us. And of course, just like the father who was making some sacrifice to keep his ward in a posh school, John Kerry was really committed to seeing that this government succeeded. He has visited Nigeria a couple of times as Secretary of State.

Marino noted that most of Buhari’s appointments were from the north. An observation that some might argue wouldn’t have mattered in a developed country that is more interested in merit. But Marino seems to understand Nigeria, even more than some of the members of his committee on Foreign Affairs. [The folks who advised Senator Kerry to visit the Sultan alone did not understand the level of mistrust in the country].  The congressman argues that these lopsided appointments fuel distrust in the country.

He drew his country’s attention to Buhari’s anti-corruption fight. He says the fight is focused mainly on the opposition. I thought the US had given the president a pass mark on his fight against corruption. Marino’s letter literally ripped off Buhari’s shirt. And of course, ripping off a person’s shirt could provoke a retaliation.

He also drew his country’s attention to the extrajudicial killings IPOB members and Shiites. And also, to the extrajudicial detentions in the country.

One is not surprised about Marino’s admonition to the State Department on selling arms to Nigeria. The congressman, in his home country, has been arguing against giving guns to people who could misuse them. [I’m not saying that Nigeria will misuse any arms from abroad, don’t get me wrong].

His submission speaks the mind of many Nigerians. He definitely knows a lot about the politics in Nigeria. But I have some concerns. One, on his page on Wikipedia, it is stated that the congressman supports death penalty. And at the same time stated that he is a Roman Catholic. This is contradictory. Two, since Marino became a congressman, he has sponsored 40 bills, but none have become law. This raises the question of the kind of influence the republican might be able to have on Nigerian politics – i.e. from his own end of the Atlantic.

Well, this letter could do two things. One, it could put pressure on Buhari’s government to reform itself and improve on its performance. Yes, it could provoke a debate in Congress on the romance between America and Nigeria. Two, it might just provoke an attack on Congressman Marino from some media aides in Nigeria. He could be accused of many ridiculous things. That’s politics for you.

After all the politics, it should be noted that Nigeria needs America’s support. A country in a recession needs all the stimulus and expertise it can get from the biggest economy in the world. Coincidentally, America had experienced both a recession and a depression – there is a lot to take away from them.

It will be interesting to see the effect of this letter in the coming weeks, or even months.

For Congressman Tom Marino, I want to believe you are like most of us who love Buhari, but are always ready to put him on his toes to get the best out of him.