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November/December 2016 A publication of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria CROSSROADS AMERICA HAS VOTED 1 CROSSROADS | October/November 2016 EVENTS SECRETARY KERRY VISITS ABUJA July 23 & 24, 2016 Secretary Kerry Shakes Hands With Nigerian President Young women in STEM show Secretary Kerry their projects Muhummadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja following a meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja Secretary Kerry meets with a group of young women who have Secretary Kerry is made welcome by the Nigerian been empowered, or are empowering others through Education Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama Secretary Kerry Addresses staff of the Secretary Kerry Poses for a Photo with the U.S. Marine U.S. Embassy and their family members Security Guard Detachment in Abuja, Nigeria AMBASSADOR’S NOTES delighted to be here and especially new chapters to our long history grateful to have arrived now, with an of working with Nigeria to support opportunity to build on the legacy of democracy, justice, and civil rights, your successes over the past years. health and education, peace and From strengthening the Nigerian security, and economic growth and polity, to stopping Ebola, to fighting development. Our partnership to terror and helping victims, your advance our common interests will response together with your partners continue. has been remarkable. This issue highlights some of the We are deeply grateful to be one activities we are working on with of those partners. I am thankful to Nigerians. For example, the United every Nigerian who has worked to States Agency for International forge between our nations and our Development is engaged in providing peoples enduring ties strengthened humanitarian assistance to families by shared principles and common in the Northeast displaced by the interests. There is no tighter bond. violence of Boko Haram. The World is at a Crossroads, and I In addition, we are supporting am convinced that Nigeria will help Nigerian government officials and W. Stuart Symington ensure we move forward together. I members of civil society in their fight U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria am privileged to be in your country against corruption. Inside this issue, and look forward to working with you you will see how we are working with ear CROSSROADS in the months ahead. members of the judiciary and with Readers, clerics across Nigeria on their anti- In this issue, we shine the spotlight corruption efforts. Thank you very much on the recent American Presidential for the warm welcome election. As the process of I hope that you enjoy this publication Nigerians have given transitioning from one Administration as much as we enjoyed putting it my wife, Susan, to another unfolds, the United States together. and me. We are will remain your strong friend and D committed partner. We will add W. Stuart Symington Vol. 22 No. 1 is publishedCROSSROADS quarterly by the Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy, Nigeria In This Issue... EDITORIAL TEAM Aruna Amirthanayagam (Counselor for Public Affairs) A Special The Legacy Darcy Zotter Introduction of American (Public Affairs Officer, Lagos) Pg 4 Schooling Russell Brooks Pg 14 (Press Attaché) Sani Mohammed Olaoluwa Aworinde Awaiting a American (Editors) Plentiful Spaces and Address all correspondence to: Harvest the Youth The Editor, Public Affairs Section Pg 6 Pg 16 U.S. Embassy Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central Business Area, Abuja, Nigeria 2016 Tributes Tel: (09) 461-4000. Fax: 09-461-4305 American Pg 18 Elections LAGOS OFFICE: Pg 10 U.S. Consulate General, Public Affairs 2, Walter Carington Crescent, Lagos Tel.: +234-703-150-4867/2444 Legendary Opportunities Nigerian- Pg 20 E-mail: [email protected] Americans nigeria.usembassy.gov Website: Pg 13 Follow us on: 3 CROSSROADS | October/November 2016 Introduction of the Eastern District of Missouri, then litigated and practiced corporate law in New York, London, Paris, and St. Joseph, Missouri, before becoming a Foreign Service Officer in 1986. After beginning his diplomatic career tracking protests and politics in Honduras, he moved to Spain and worked on economic issues before serving as the Ambassador’s aide during Desert Shield and Storm. At the State Department, he worked for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs on Latin American and African issues, backing up as his aide for Bosnia. During a year-long Pearson Fellowship, he served on the staff of Congressman Ike Skelton studying U.S. military joint operations and education. He later traveled to Sudan and North Korea on teams negotiating to free American captives before finishing the year as an aide to the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations. As a political officer in Ecuador, Symington forged ties to the political opposition, indigenous leaders, military commanders, and other government and private sector leaders. From 2001-2003, Symington served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Niger, West Africa, and as Chargé d’affaires, a.i., dealing with military mutinies, terrorist threats, On September 28, 2016, W. Stuart Symington was and civil unrest. He mounted an outreach effort to confirmed by the United States Senate as the nextU.S. Muslim leaders, fostered anti-terrorism cooperation, and Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. buttressed Niger’s democracy with a key food security program. He then returned to the State Department as Most recently, Ambassador W. Stuart Symington served the Deputy Director of West African Affairs in the Africa as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Africa Bureau, working on the Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism and African Security Affairs. He also served as U.S. Initiative, humanitarian and development issues, and Special Representative for the Central African Republic challenges to security and democratic stability. from 2014 to 2015. From 2011-2014, Symington was the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander, North From October 2004 to February 2005, Symington worked American Aerospace Command (NORAD) and U.S. for Ambassador Negroponte in Iraq on the election Northern Command, working with foreign partners and process and political issues, managing pre-election U.S. government departments and agencies to defend political reporting from around the country and visiting against threats to national and regional security. From reporting officers in six of our ten regional offices during 2008-2011 he was U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda, helping the run-up to the election. Symington also worked at to increase regional security cooperation and accelerate the National Defense University’s Joint Forces Staff improvements in health care. And from 2006-2008, College in Norfolk, studying and teaching how America’s Symington served as Ambassador to Djibouti, leading diplomats and warriors can cooperate best to advance Embassy efforts to advance regional economic U.S. interests abroad. integration, defuse humanitarian crises, and promote democratic development. Join us in welcoming Ambassador Symington to Nigeria as he continues the legacy of a symbiotic partnership He was raised in Missouri, earned a bachelor’s degree between the United States of America and Nigeria and from Brown University, and a Juris Doctorate from working together to achieve common goals. Columbia University. He clerked for the Chief Judge 4 CROSSROADS | October/November 2016 David J. Young has been serving as Human Rights; a Pearson Fellow the Deputy Chief of Mission, US. in the House of Representatives; Embassy Abuja, Nigeria since August Public Affairs Officer at Embassy 2016. Guatemala; and Director of the Office of International Religious Mr. Young previously served as Freedom. Mr. Young graduated from Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. the University of Missouri with a Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia (2013- bachelor’s degree in journalism. He 2016). received a Master of Divinity degree A Foreign Service Officer for 26 and a Master of Arts in international years, Mr. Young was Deputy Director relations from Boston University. of the Office of the U.S. Special Born and raised in Kansas City, Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Missouri, he and his wife Diane Weisz and he served as Acting Deputy Chief Young have two children, Paul and of Mission in Khartoum, Sudan. Prior Sarah. He is a fanatic of the Kansas to this, he was Executive Assistant City Chiefs and Royals and loves his to the Under Secretary of State for hometown KC barbeque. Civilian Security, Democracy and in September 2016. His last posting United States Trade Representative was at the Foreign Service Institute (USTR). From 2000 Aruna worked in in Arlington, Virginia where he served Public Affairs as the Cultural Attaché as a Senior Advisor in the School for in Ethiopia, as Desk Officer for West Professional and Area Studies. Africa in Washington, as the Cultural Attaché in Kenya and the Counselor Aruna grew up in Sri Lanka and for Public Affairs in Singapore. He Britain before moving to the U.S. was then posted to Bolivia where in 1975 when his father joined he served initially as Counselor the East-West Center in Hawaii. for Public Affairs, as Acting Deputy Aruna has a BA with distinction in Chief of Mission and then as Chargé international relations from Stanford d’Affaires. His last overseas posting University and an MBA in finance and was as Deputy Chief of Mission at international business from Cornell the U.S. Embassy to the Eastern University. Caribbean based in Barbados. After several years in the private Aruna’s wife, Vathani, is a former sector with Bank of America and IBM, USAID officer who focuses on health he joined the U.S. Foreign Service Aruna Amirthanayagam is a career and human rights issues. They have in 1990. He served as an economic member of the Senior Foreign a son and a daughter in college in officer in Haiti, the Philippines, and Service. He assumed the position the U.S. Aruna enjoys sports as well India as well as a Deputy Director for of Counselor for Public Affairs at as music and travel.