Bill Gates cancels visit to Nigeria

United States of America dealt a hard blow on Nigeria, Monday, with the cancellation of a planned visit to Nigeria by one of its richest men, Bill Gates, to the country, following the controversial pardon granted the former Bayelsa State Governor, Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha, by President Goodluck Jonathan last week.

 

 

The US, it was learnt, is still peeved that Jonathan ignored the feelings of Nigerians and went ahead to pardon his former master, who was convicted of money laundering amounting to billions of Naira, thereby setting the anti-corruption war backwards.

The US is also angry that Nigeria summoned its envoy for questioning for daring to voice concerns over the pardon to corrupt persons.

Vanguard further learnt that the cancellation has to do with concerns over the lack of safety of medical staff, who handle polio immunisation in northern parts of Nigeria, which is one of the biggest recipients of US aid in Africa.

 

Why Gates shunned Nigeria
Bill Gates, authoritative diplomatic sources said, cancelled his trip two days after the US government expressed disappointment over the pardon. “I can confirm to you that Mr. Gates won’t be coming as scheduled,” sources reportedly claimed yesterday morning. “The body language of Washington D.C. does not support his travelling to Nigeria. The thinking here is that the Nigerian government has high tolerance level for corruption and should be ostracised in all ways possible.” It was learnt that Gates had already instructed his staff to inform Aso Rock, the secretariat of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and the Federal Ministry of Health that he was no longer coming. Last year the US gave Nigeria about $226 million in development aid and is expected to spend $600 million this year.

 

Gates, who has been working with the Nigerian authorities since 2009 to combat the ravages of polio, a childhood disease that has been dusted by other countries, was scheduled to meet with some governors in the country, whose states were still being buffeted by polio, officials of the Federal Ministry of Health and Nigeria’s billionaire, Aliko Dangote.

Health Ministry source
A top official of the Health Ministry confirmed to Vanguard last night that they had received a notice from the Bill Gates Foundation cancelling the trip to Nigeria.

 

The official, who pleaded anonymity, said there was nothing they could do than to put off necessary arrangements being made for the visit.

 

“Yes, it is true that the trip has been put off,” the official said. Competent diplomatic sources said the foundation opted to suspend the visit barely two days after the US government expressed disappointment with its Nigerian counterpart for pardoning convicted money launderers and warned it might cut aid meant for the country.

 

It was learnt that the cancellation of the trip had already been communicated to the Presidency and other stakeholders in the health sector in Nigeria.

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/alamieyeseighas-pardon-bill-gates-cancels-visit-to-nigeria/