PART 2 Nigeria's Bromance with the West

Nigeria's meteoric economic rise reverberated around the world. In 1999 economic analysts from Goldman Sachs said Nigeria's GDP, which stood at $24 billion could hit $47 billion by 2009. The Economist forecasted an ''optimistic'' future.

for Nigeria. They said Nigeria's GDP could hit the $100 billion mark by 2016 and projected that the Nigerian economy might overtake South Africa to becomes Africa's biggest economy by 2035. The were in for a rude awakening.

In 2001 Nigeria's GDP shot up to $74.3 billion. Nigeria achieved in 12 months what western analysts predicted could take two decades. A year under democratic governance Nigeria had become 46th biggest economy in the ranking of GDP of the 195 countries.l

These are GNP figures. When measured in PPP Nigeria's GDP was a staggering $282 billion. This is the fastest economic growth within a 12 month period in human history. Nigeria became the first African nation to have the worlds fastest growing economy with a 7% GDP growth rate.

Two years later in 2003 Nigeria's GDP shot up to $104 billion. In 2004 the GDP stood at $136.4 billion. Nigeria was the newest and most dynamic market in the world and Investors were fallen all over themselves to tap into this new market with a huge consumer base.

Economic investors were not the only ones trying to grab a piece of this market. Nuclear armed nations were dying to do business with Nigeria. In January 2004 North Korea offered to share ballistic missile technology with Nigeria to the chagrin of the United States.

Washington warned it might impose sanctions if Abuja were to purchase North Korean missiles. March 2004, a Pakistan’s military official offered to share unspecified military assistance and “nuclear power” with Nigeria’s military.

This time the BIG 3 - France, Britain and the United States threatened punitive actions beyond sanctions if Nigeria sought to nuclear weapons technology. The Nigerian military denied Interest in acquiring Pakistan's nuclear technology and rescinded claims that Pakistan offered

to help Nigeria acquire nuclear power. The confusion was caused by a “typographical error” a Nigerian official said

Nigeria was was growing too powerful at an incredible pace and was about to be the victim of its own success. To put things into perspective consider this:

In just over a period of five years Nigeria has undergone a shift from a Pariah state to a continental powerhouse, and a diplomatic clout so powerful the Nigerian military was nuclear/ballistic missile technology in the space of two months. Nigeria became the first and only

black nation to be propositioned with ballistic missile technology, much to the confusion of the Western powers. Their long range projections on Nigeria's economic growth is way off margin it borders on ridiculous.

Instead they are watching in astonishment the rise of a rejuvenated African powerhouse. Relations with the West will never be the same. The first sign of the thawing of relations was during agitations for resource control by Niger Delta militants. A conflict that slashed

oil production from 2.2 million to 1 million barrels per day, leading to loss billions of dollars in oil revenue. Abuja criticized Washington for failing to help protect the nations oil assets from rebel attack, forcing Abuja to turn to Beijing for arms.

Then Vice President Atiku Abubakar told the Financial Times the U.S has been deliberately slow to help protect the oil rich Niger Delta from a growing insurgency. He said talks with the U.S over security plans for the region was deliberately being stalled.

Nigeria turned to China and Israel for military hardware. Nigeria was indeed the first nation in Africa to acquire unmanned aerial vehicles. Israel delivered a number of Aerostar drones Abuja to monitor oil pipelines in the creeks of the Niger Delta.

China was all too happy to fill the void left by the West to become Nigeria's main supplier of military hardware. Nigeria wanted 200 boats to secure the Delta. China delivered dozens of patrol boats to Abuja to the chagrin of the United States.

An official remarked that Nigeria felt let down by the reluctance of the U.S military to offer more support to the Nigerian military and Chinese boats were a very welcome development. This was when the U.S played its ''human rights'' card.

American diplomats said concerns over the level of corruption and human rights violations made the U.S reluctant to supply arms to Nigeria, and said Washington needed to show more concern about Chinese involvement in Nigeria.

Washington then accused China of using arms sales to meet its diplomatic or political ends. Beijing China insisted it did not use arms sales for political ends.

Fast forward today history is repeating itself again.

In 2013 Nigeria reached out to the U.S for the purchase of 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft and its complement of smart munitions. Talks dragged on for two years over conflicts of interest. The Obama administration refused to recognize Boko Haram as a terrorist organization.

The Obama administration finally agreed to the sale after nearly three years of negotiations. The sale was again blocked when a NAF jet mistakenly bombed a refugee camp. Obama immediately put a freeze on the sale until Nigeria's human rights records improve.

Its 2021. Almost a decade later nobody knows for certainty when the planes we paid $580 million for will be delivered. weve been on this deal for EIGHT straight years.

ENTER CHINA

In 2012 Nigeria ordered two stealth OPVs from China. Construction began in October 2012.

Two years later the ships are delivered. NNS Centenary had majority of the construction in Port Harcourt in order to develop Nigeria's ship building industry. Two 1,800 ton warships constructed and delivered in just 3 years

Between 2018 and 2021 China has delivered 3rd generation VT-4 Main Battle Tanks, Norinco ST-1 Tank Destroyers/Fire Support, SH-105mm wheeled self propelled artillery systems. The NAF is also expecting delivery of HQ-9 air defence missile system, Wing Loong II armed UAV and CH-4

Once again all this is happening at the displeasure of the United States.