The Obama Phenomenon in Nigeria

Adebayo A. Lawal

The emergence of Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate in the forthcoming November election in the United States is a welcome development. It has rekindled the hope of the black race in the Diaspora that, given the opportunity, the black man can become what he is destined to be—to build his nation and make his mark. The Obama drama is the talk of the town in Nigeria. It is the subject of discussion, commentary, and reference in the electronic and print media and among the intelligentsia. For those who studied in the United States and are familiar with the history of African Americans, Obama has made history by being the first African American to emerge as the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.

Christians and Muslims have organized prayer cells, praying night and day for Obama’s electoral victory regardless of the antics of some of his detractors in the United States who emphasize the color of his skin as a disqualification. The Obama campaign and advertisement websites are regularly visited by well-wishers all over Nigeria. Only recently an overzealous group organized an “Obama for Africa” dinner party and raised about $630,000 to expend on publicity to persuade African immigrants in the United States to register and cast their votes for Obama to guarantee his victory and mission to the White House. Obama’s campaign managers dissociated themselves from such a group, stressing that U.S. electoral law forbids such a practice. Obama is regarded as a symbol of African pride, sagacity, and pragmatism which have been reinforced by his political experience in the United States to the extent that, if given a chance, he can lead the most powerful country in the world back to respectability around the globe.

The Obama phenomenon has reawakened the Nigerian’s interest in the American democracy, U.S. electoral politics, and the American historical record from which many lessons are currently being learned by Nigerian politicians and members of the National Assembly.

There are several groups in Nigeria engaging in many activities to celebrate Obama and the pride of the black race. While “Blacks unite for Obama ‘08” and “Obama Solidarity Group” printed and distributed car stickers in the streets of major cities including Lagos and Abuja, others have embossed Obama’s image on handkerchiefs, teacups, pens, and exercise books which are given away at social parties to create public awareness. Members of the Nigerian intelligentsia eagerly access various websites to read the latest news and to grasp the logic of the latest debates, arguments, and criticisms of Obama in America. Several historians and students of African American history in Nigeria are eager to witness the realization of the prophetic pronouncement of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., in his popular speech “I Have a Dream.” They hope that Obama could eventually be elected. Apart from repeated eulogies showered on Obama in most of the most widely read newspapers, like The Punch, The Guardian, The Nation, and Vanguard, some skeptics contend that Obama has no special policy for Africa if he becomes the American president; hence their conclusion that he does not need Nigerians and Africans. They wonder why people are overzealous about his presidential ambition, more so when they entertain the fear that he could be assassinated by some racial bigots if eventually he is elected president. They suggest that the U.S. government should offer him much needed protection.

Many bookstores in Nigeria have made considerable profits from their sale of Obama’s two bestsellers, The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father, from which avid readers derive a great deal of inspiration. Also, news on Obama’s strategy of how he intends to change America and the world through hard work, perseverance, and new approaches to international relations, have promoted the popularity and sales of some monthly and bimonthly magazines. Obama is regarded as an oracle of global change in the twenty-first century.

Obama could win the presidential election because he has charisma. According to Juliet Bunah and Abimbola Adelakun in The Punch, his young age and color are no barriers. His wealth of good ideas and understanding of human nature may partially negate the effects of racism in the electorate.

Adebayo A. Lawal is a professor in the department of history and strategic studies at the University of Lagos and is an international contributing editor to the OAH's Journal of American History.