New York, Decemer 17, 2007---The apparent misrepresentation of all-important meeting between Nigeria President Umaru Yar’Adua and United States Preside George W. Bush by Nigerian delegation may have caused some ruckus within the Nigerian and African communities.

After the meeting one of the Nigerian government senior delegate at the meeting read a communiqué which in summary states that, “President Umaru Yar’Adua says Nigeria will start a partnership with the U.S. on its military’s new Africa Command.” This therefore represents a major departure from Nigeria government earlier strong objection to the U.S. military initiative for Africa

“At a meeting of the National Council of State, President Umaru Yar'Adua said that Nigeria was also opposed to any such bases in West Africa”, says BBC few weeks ago. "No foreign troops are welcomed on African soil," says Nigerian Minister of Foreign affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe stated emphatically few weeks ago, as well.

We at Africans In America News Watch reported that apparent major shift in Nigerian government position. That report unsettled the Nigerian delegation prompting the President’s press aide, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi to protest the report and send clarification.

Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi stated, “Nigeria's position has not changed. Africom already exists but based in Germany. US wants it on African soil, particularly Nigeria. The President says America troops on Nigerian soil is not a welcome development and that for Africa, AU has a counter proposal of African Stand-By Force and that if the intention of US is security in the continent, no big deal. But that doesnt require bringing their troops to Africa. They can help the UAU in the area of funding, training and logistics but the troops would be contributed by African countries, not bringing Africom in.”

Mr. Adeniyi continued, “The Gulf of Guinea Commission is also proposing to set up the Gulf of Guinea Guards Force to police the area and would also not mind US support given their interest in the region vis-avis oil but the troops will also come from the Gulf of Guinea countries. These were the same positions the President presented Mr Negroponte when he came to Nigeria and that posiiton has not changed. Incidentally, it was not the Council of State that took the decision on Africom, it was the President. He merely informed Council. While Governor Saraki was briefing the press, he didnt even mention it. I was the one who sent a note to him on the issue simply because I knew that was what would make the news because of its international significance. Those are the facts....”

The President Press aide’s clarification above was more apt.

Africans In America News Watch investigation reveals that the world especially the Nigerian communities worldwide, the African communities worldwide, the black world including the dark-skinned people in the North America, West Indies and Europe, as well as western investors were waiting for the outcome of the meeting of the leader of ‘oil-giant of Africa’ (President Yar’Adua) and the leader of free world and the most powerful man on earth (President Bush).

Infact, the oil-dependent western and Eastern world, the oil-producing countries in the Middle East and South America were also paying attention to the meeting of African ‘oil-giant’ with the world number 1 consumer of oil.

One would have expected Nigeria to put their best foot forward, but unfortunately the spotlight-thirsty politicians apparently usurped the communication management and consequently muddled things up, as usual. Let’s just summarize that the Nigerian delegation did not serve the reformer and populist ‘Servant-Leader’ President Yar’Adua very well.

Africans In America News Watch has observed that this apparent misrepresentation or miscommunication after such an important meeting therefore has raised an issue of information management by the Nigerian government. It has been a practice within Nigeria government to assign press briefing to politicians being groomed for higher office. Recently, Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State has been handling that assignment. The roles of retinue of Presidential Spokesmen and women, and other press aides remain actually unknown.

Moving forward, however, the questions therefore are; who should handle communication/the press in matters like this? Should that be politicians (governor or whatever whoever is being groomed); or, one of the skilled press aides to the President who probably have the technical skills and understand the modern high-tech information management? Is there any lesson from this?