WHAT NIGERIA MEANS TO GERMANY

Both countries have much to gain in their relationships, writes Paul Obi

“Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect. But we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in… you live on a defended island of freedom. But your life is part of the main… so, let me ask you… to lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today, to the hopes of tomorrow, beyond the freedom merely of this city Berlin, or your country of Germany, to the advance of freedom everywhere, beyond the wall to the day of peace with justice, beyond yourselves and ourselves to all mankind.”

J. F. Kennedy

35th US President (1961 – 1963), Ichi Bin Ein Berliner Speech, 26th June, 1963

The world is at a crossroads; it confronts several phases of crises, the recent being the two most hydrated and devastating – the Russian-Ukrainian War and the Israel – Hamas War. In the Russian-Ukrainian War, the ill-fated imperial powers of an old empire are up in arms against a democratic state. In the Israel – Hamas War, you have terrorism igniting one of the most excruciating humanitarian crises in a decade. Yet, it is in times like this, that great nations are born. Who, confronted by the vagaries of conflicts can stand up for truth and human life for the sake of peace and the advancement of a sickening world? Here comes the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz visiting Nigeria today and he’s expected to meet the Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Invariably, the visit of the German Chancellor to Nigeria, came at no better time than now. Nigeria is Africa’s biggest democracy and boasts of leading the largest economy as well. Germany is likewise Europe’s largest economic powerhouse and the most populous democracy. Critically, there is so much that the two continental giants of Africa and Europe can gain and help shape in the world – from warzones to a more peaceful world driven by economic growth and better life. Yet, since the establishment of diplomatic relations in the 1960s, Germany’s biggest diplomatic mistake was to have relegated its bilateral relations with Nigeria for countries like Russia and others. But as the world faces its greatest challenges of war, conflict and the weaponization of energy and gas orchestrated by the Kremlin led regime, novel diplomatic relations between Germany and Africa beckons, and earnestly so.

Granted, at a period when Africa is turning its back against the neocolonial antics and antecedents of France and its economic exploitation of French-speaking African states, Germany will be received with open arms and more as a trusted ally than France and other predatory global powers like China and Russia. And many reasons account for this vintage position and opportunity that Germany has with Africa, specifically Nigeria. One, Germany has no sordid colonial past with Africa to warrant any suspicion. Two, Germany under Olaf Scholz, has no cultural war baggage associated with some Western countries championing gay and LGTB+ rights in Africa. These are policies, Africa would not embrace, and it’s almost an aberration.

Often, African countries tend to antagonise Western nations propagating gay rights in favour of China that don’t fly the LGTB+ rainbow flag. So, good enough, Germany is not a propagator of such policies, and it’s in Germany’s interest to remain so, and not to venture into such cultural wars. In addition, Germany has shown profound magnanimity to Nigeria by returning the looted Benin artefacts to the Nigerian government. That in itself, is a plausible diplomatic win for both Germany and Nigeria.  

On economy, trade and investment, Germany and Nigeria have so much in stock, with tremendous comparative advantages. More so, Russia’s weaponization of gas and energy, which has hurt the German economy as a result of over dependence on Russia, a situation a German government official, Robert Habeck described as a ‘grave political mistake’ should be a period of reawakening for the Scholz’s African trade policy, particularly, with Nigeria where gas is in abundance. The gas and energy blackmail by the Kremlin which was as a result of European Union (EU) members’ countries opposing Russia’s war invasion of an independent country, Ukraine should compel Germany to take Nigeria as a serious trade partner going forward.

As Scholz meets with President Tinubu today, the key points would be centred on how to streamline the enormous trade and investment opportunities for a win-win situation for the two countries. The question will be, how does Nigeria expedite action on the African Gas Pipeline Project that links Nigeria – Niger Republic – Morocco – Europe? Nigeria has about 208 trillion cubic tons of gas, constituting 33% of Africa’s gas reserves. Thus, in Nigeria, Germany has an energy partner far from the Kremlin gas blackmail. Also, Nigeria has been a poor performer in the provision of electricity to its hapless citizens. Several efforts through Siemens, a German company has been a fiasco. One of the contracts in early 2000s led to a global scandal in the US, Germany, UK, France and Italy; the second facilitated by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has still not yielded any tangible outcome. So, Nigeria is in dire need of electricity and power revival. Scholz can use this visit to reinvigorate the contract and push for improved assistance in that regard.

The German Chancellor, from the itinerary of his two-day visit to Nigeria is expected, on Monday, to meet with the Nigerian business class and Information Technology (IT) savvy youths in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital and estimated to be Africa’s seventh biggest economy. In Lagos, the Chancellor will meet with what makes Nigeria thick; the undying business spirit, irrepressible and mobile youths, tech savvy Nigerians, dependable tech upstarts among many other quintessential orbits of the Nigerian economy. Beyond tech, Nigeria provides investment opportunities in areas such as construction, agriculture, mining, aviation, oil and gas, education among others. Given that Nigeria is Germany’s second highest trading partner in Africa, a lot lies ahead of this visit. Added to this, the German Ambassador to Nigeria observed recently that there are about 90 German companies in Nigeria like Julius Berger, Strasburg Goethe-Institut, etc., employing close to 1700 Nigerians. These statistics, as good as they are, require improvement in terms of scaling up trade and investment between the two countries. To be better positioned, Nigeria must also imbibe the culture of openness, transparency, accountability, democratic governance and a friendly atmosphere for business.

More fundamentally, Scholz arrived in Nigeria three days after the final adjudication of the 2023 presidential election by the Nigerian Supreme Court. His visit to a democratic Nigeria came amid the wave of military coups d’état in West Africa.  Even at that, Nigeria’s democracy may falter and suffer from the illiberal impulses of dishonest power grabbers and snatchers such as controversial elections and a compromised elections management body, we still do not take for granted our cherished democracy and freedom. We hold our democracy so dear, as the grand norm of our common existence, that even autocratic elections cannot truncate. Therefore, in Nigeria, Germany has an undying supporter and firm believer of democracy. As John F. Kennedy posited 70 years ago above, “freedom may be difficult and democracy is not perfect;” still, on Nigerian – German relations, nothing should “put a wall up to keep their people in.” Therefore, the default options for the Nigerian – German relations, should include trade and investment; robust foreign relations, information technology, energy and gas, agriculture, mining, aviation, education and cooperative exchange with Nigerian youths. That way, the interactions between Africa and Europe with Nigeria and Germany at the centre will yield profound and fruitful outcomes. Wellkommen, Herr Bundeskanzler!

Obi is a media scholar, researcher and journalist; and the co-author of Medeia and Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy: Civic Space, Free Speech, and the Battle for Freedom of the Press