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While the Ambassador painted a positive picture of the efforts of the Obasanjo administration, saying results were being made, Akande disagreed insisting that there is no security of lives in the country and that poverty is so pervasive in the land. He said a lot still has to be done. Akande while asking to differ with Aminu's speech joked that he hoped he would still get a ride back to his hotel after his criticism because the Ambassador had provided him transportation to the venue of the programme. While Akande was talking he paused and announced that "the Ambassador just said I am on the wrong side, but he is the one on the wrong side," and the audience burst out laughing. Aminu is a PDP chieftain while Akande is the chairman of the APP board of trustees. Both men also crossed paths on the much talked about defense pact between Nigeria and the United States. Akande saying rather than have a defense pact with the United States, he would have loved to see "a health pact" between Nigeria and the U.S. stressing that "our people are dying of common sickness daily." He gave the example of kidney disease saying there aren't enough dialysis machines in Nigeria and people are dying because of that. Aminu however strongly responded to claims of a defense pact, saying that Nigeria and the U.S. has no such military pact. "If there is a defense pact, I would know," he says after Akande had alluded to the possibility of such a pact. Although both countries have denied the existence of a formal defense pact, the presence of some U.S. troops in Nigeria training some battalions of the Nigerian Army continue to generate debate over the exact details of such a relationship. The event, which was organized by a group of Nigerian professionals in the United States, called Nigeria Policy Group-USA had Akande as chairman and Aminu as special guest of honor. Aminu spoke first. He said Nigeria was undergoing "a test of democracy" and predicted that the country would overcome whatever current problems it may be facing now and "march forward as one nation." He said advocates for constitutional changes should know that democracy also entails plurality of views and that others also have their views as well. But Akande called for true federalism arguing that "we need to have a Sovereign National Conference or a national conference and sit together, all groups, to determine how we want to live. There is too much power in the center and that is not in our nation's interest. We need to devolve power to the states and local councils. On foreign investment, Aminu restated the refrain of the Obasanjo administration calling for foreign investors to come to Nigeria. "Foreign investments are needed to create jobs and boost income and productivity," stressing that without such democracy will not survive. But Aminu cautioned investors interested that there would be "no quick kill." Akande, himself an international entrepreneur however noted that what is needed to realise foreign investment is an enabling environment. "It would not be difficult to encourage people to bring their money to your country if the environment is right. They would be there if the environment is right." The APP chieftain also said he opposes the calls for the cancellation of Nigerian debt saying such would only damage Nigeria's creditworthiness in the future. "Everybody owes, even the U.S. owes. We need to reorganise our priority and repay our debt. Akande said the fate of Nigeria, which he said was very bad now, can be affected for good by Nigerians abroad in the U.S. Europe and Canada. He said he was supporting the legislation to entrench absentee balloting in Nigeria's electoral laws and urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to get ready to work for a change for good in Nigeria. "People who can change Nigeria are here," Akande said on the one issue that he seemed to have agreed with Aminu. Aminu had earlier said the Obasanjo administration had established the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation-NIDO so as to "galvanise Nigerian intellectuals for national development." Aminu urged Nigerians abroad to join the movement refuting claims that the movement was a partisan move by the current administration. Commenting on the number of Nigerians involved in the World Trade Center tragedy in New York, Aminu said as at last Friday only one Nigerian has been confirmed dead, nine missing and 3 hospitalised. But he did not give names. He condoled the families involved adding that though Nigeria's Independence Day called for merriment, but wondered if that was the right thing with the tragedy of the terrorist attacks. The event was organised by a Maryland-based group of Nigerian professionals in the United States called Nigeria Policy -USA, a non-partisan think tank that advocates policy initiatives for the country. Members of the think tank include daughters of former PDP chairman and former Plateau State Governor Solomon Lar, Beni Lar and Chalya Lar. Others include Godson M. Nnaka, Abdulkadir Usman, Alex Ike Okeke, Anebi Adoga, Ganiyu Raji, Solomon I. Omo-Osagie II, Theresa I. Obot, Musa Babapanya, Yewande Olasimbo, Olayinka Olasimbo and Kunle Fagbemi. Guests at the events included Mr. S.K. Martins, head of the Nigerian Embassy Information Center, Washington D.C.-based Nigerian attorney Emmanuel Ogebe and his wife, Dr. Sodipe, also an attorney and Lou Akande from Chicago and Mr. Abiodun Adepoju, an architect and democracy activist among others. Ambassadors to the U.S. from Benin Republic, Mali and Senegal were also in attendance
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igerian Ambassador to the United States, Professor Jubril Aminu and APP
chieftain and Billionaire businessman Chief Harry Akande disagreed sharply on
the state of the nation at a function in Maryland last week to mark
Nigeria's 41st Independence Day.