Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
As Nigerians grapple with the reality of the visa ban slammed on the country and five others, the United States has announced an additional $40 million (N14 billion) aid to address the humanitarian crisis arising from decades of Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.
The United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced the donation at the end of the fifth session of the Nigeria-United States of America Bi-national Commission held in Washington D.C, United States.
Pompeo, who spoke after a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, recalled that the United States had in 2019, provided nearly $350 million to assist the victims.
He disclosed that the meeting centred on how to continue to strengthen the economic and security ties between both countries, which he said, was a real priority for the Trump administration in Africa because Nigeria is Africa’s most populous democracy and its largest economy.
Pompeo added that Nigeria is already America’s second-largest trading partner in Africa as United States companies from Google to Chevron to KPMG, invested over a billion dollars in Nigeria in 2018 alone, creating over 18,000 jobs and indirectly supporting three million others. He further disclosed that both countries discussed how to tighten trade ties even further, including in infrastructure investment and embracing free market policies that attract capital – private capital, ensuring consistent enforcement of the law, stating that doubling down on anti-corruption efforts are the surest way to grow prosperity in Nigeria and all across the region.
He said the United States was pleased that President Muhammadu Buhari has prioritised the fight against corruption which was why the United States signed an agreement to return more than $308 million in assets stolen by former military head of state, the late General Sani Abacha. Pompeo, who further spoke on the cooperation between the United States and Nigeria in the area of security, said the cooperation has been expanding.
“Case in point: Nigeria’s recent $500 million purchase of 12 U.S.-made A-29 aircraft. This supports President Buhari’s recently stated goal of creating ‘a security force with the best training and modern weaponry.’ He also pledged that those forces ‘will be held to the highest standards of respect for human rights.
“The United States will hold Nigeria to that pledge, and we’ll help you achieve it. The United States has already invested in the training of Nigeria’s military on human rights and the Law of Armed Conflict. Nigeria was one of the first African nations to join the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. America is now supporting the Nigerian fight against ISIS’s largest global affiliate, ISIS-West Africa – a dangerous threat to both of our countries.
“In part due to this terrorism threat, on Friday, President Trump announced the suspension of immigrant visas for Nigerians because Nigeria has room to grow in sharing important national security information. I am optimistic that’s going to happen. In the proclamation, President Trump highlighted Nigeria’s importance as a strategic partner in the global fight against terrorism and recognised the government’s commitment to improving information sharing with us.
“The foreign minister and I also discussed the massive humanitarian crisis and the conflict with Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa and other religious and ethnic violence. We know that these issues are hard. We know that they’re complicated. But I strongly encouraged the Nigerian Government to do more to protect its civilians, including religious communities and the humanitarian organisations seeking to assist them.”
Onyeama said the Nigeria-United States Bi-national Commission was an important and valued framework for the cooperation between the United States and Nigeria which reflected the importance that Nigeria attach to the bilateral relations between both countries.