Furthermore, closer Nigerian–U.S. ties met a mixed reception inside Nigeria. As they had during the Carter administration, critics questioned the sincerity of the U.S.'s support for human rights and democracy in Africa, suspecting that it was a cover for more cynical national interests and arguing that Nigeria had become a Western client state, no longer distinguished by its pursuit of an African-led and anti-imperialist foreign policy. Nonetheless, in later years, the U.S. remained willing to commit symbolic and political support to the maintenance of democratic civilian rule in Nigeria. Since the election of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigerian president in 2015, this has included high-level support for Buhari's domestic anti-corruption efforts – corruption was one item on the agenda at Buhari's meeting at the White House with U.S. President Barack Obama in July 2015. Buhari has lobbied the U.S. government to repatriate the proceeds of corruption by Nigerian public officials, and in April 2016 Ibrahim Magu, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, visited Washington to lodge a request with the U.S. government for further technical assistance, training, and intelligence sharing.
