Tombari Sibe
The strategic national interest of America will never be jettisoned for a personal agenda of a single leader; and Trump was never going to break that. From 1961 when Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa first visited officially, to date, America is still playing her role as the “seller”, and Nigeria the “loyal customer”.
Let’s revisit that historic visit in 1961. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s oratory and golden voice, echoed through Washington, and announced Nigeria on the International stage with aplomb. Americans lined the streets of Washington, waving at the Prime Minister of Africa’s most populous nation. He was received with a colourful Guard of Honour, and at the tarmac by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, and a top delegation of American officials. This was arguably the best reception any Nigerian leader could ever get anywhere; the “salesman” had to lay an impressive foundation. In Salesmanship, first impression is crucial; and the Americans were not going to let this moment slip by.
His host, John F. Kennedy treated him with warmth and respect. His crisp, clear voice, and masterful delivery earned him a standing ovation at the US Congress. Heads of African diplomatic missions in the US rolled out a robust reception for the leader of their “big brother” nation, Nigeria. A big prospect was in town!
Understandably, Nigeria didn’t have much to sell at this point. The nation was less than a year old, and still basking in her independence. However, the Prime Minister put up a remarkably grand appearance. He did his best, to share his vision and policy thrust of his young nation.
America, on the other hand was “selling” to the new “customer” at every opportunity. They took him on a tourist drive to the National Park; to the site of the battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania; to the Northwestern University, Chicago, where he was gifted with a collection of books on Africa published by the university; to Tennessee where he visited the Fort Loudoun Dam and an experimental test farm by the Tennessee Valley Authority; to New York, where he visited the Waldorf Astoria and the New York University, where he was honoured with a degree, Doctor of Law (honoris causa).
In salesmanship, you must look to wow your prospect; America did a fantastic job in doing that. They sold to him their greatness, their “freedom”, their technology, their Agriculture and their education. He even got honourary citizenship of Chicago and New York, respectively, in the course of the visit. In Salesmanship it’s important to make your client comfortable so he can buy more.
Trump carried on that tradition of selling to Nigeria “everything”, in return for a Photo-op, and a few lines of ego-boosting verses for the Nigerian President. To make “America Great Again”, like he promised in his campaign, he had to be a good “salesman”.
President Trump, being the good salesman he is, made his guest very comfortable, including grinning cheerfully over his shoulder as he signed away. He was warm, and nice, and even appeared to assist him with questions at the Press Conference. Good Salesman strategy! And yes, it worked. Trump sold all he had on his tray to his loyal customer; from Tucano to Agricultural produce.
When it was time for the Nigerian President to sell the only product he carried – crude oil – he declined the opportunity, saying you cannot tell America what to do. America is “telling” you what to buy, and you think you can’t tell them what to “buy” from you in return? A reporter who probably noticed that Nigeria wasn’t “selling” anything in Washington, presented the opportunity by asking if the Nigerian President tabled any requests for increased patronage of her crude oil. The President responded by saying: “No, I can’t tell the United States what to do”. Opportunity lost! The bulk of his speech was to show gratitude to his host.
Nigerians must learn to elect herself a “good salesman”, instead of a “loyal customer”. You can’t have all that attributes they keep telling you – biggest economy in Africa, largest population in Africa, arable land, mineral resources, etc – and remain a “loyal customer” forever. We must move on from being known only for consumption, to production. We have to know how to “sell our market”.
The great nations of the earth, are those whose leaders are great salesmen. The Chinese don’t need to hear your language; they’ll find a way to sell to you. The Indians don’t mind what you think of their accent, they’ll find a way to sell their software and their healthcare products to you. The South Koreans don’t need to hear your language, they’ll make a phone that “speaks” your language, and a car that drives your road. Nigeria, must be ready to “sell”, and not buy all the time. On this trip, President Trump played the role of the “good salesman”, and President Buhari, the “loyal customer”. He was even very grateful for the opportunity to “buy”.
