Follow Us on Google
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Joe Biden of the United States has extended an exclusive invitation to President Bola Tinubu to meet on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City to advance discussions further on the position of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Niger junta in late September.
According to a statement issued by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the invitation was extended when President Tinubu on Saturday received the U.S. Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, at the State House.
President accepted the invitation, noting that the work of perfecting democracy is never done, even in developed democracies, as seen recently in America, as well as other emerging democracies in the world.
Tinubu told the envoy to ensure that U.S. policy was intentionally collaborative with independent African democracies at a time when they were under assault by anti-democratic forces within and outside the continent.
He noted that American-backed development finance and multilateral institutions, which were designed to support war-torn Europe after World War II, required swift and comprehensive reform to meet the developmental requirements of younger democracies in Africa, which operated in authoritarian-crowded environments, such that the legitimate yearnings of Africans would no longer be manipulated to serve the narrow aims of self-seeking demagogues through unconstitutional takeover of power.
“Yes, the private sector will lead the way within an enabling environment we create for them, but the U.S. government must be innovative in its thinking and systematically create incentives for U.S. industrial investment in Nigeria. Under my leadership, Nigeria stands ready to address its specific regulatory, tax, and environmental concerns. I am determined to create prosperity for all Nigerian families,” the President declared.
Tinubu affirmed that the crisis in the Niger Republic would not deter him from concluding his economic reform programme successfully for the benefit of Nigerians and would only advance the interest of the country in his approach toward ECOWAS’ handling of the regional standoff.
“We are deep in our attempts to peacefully settle the issue in Niger by leveraging our diplomatic tools. I continue to hold ECOWAS back, despite its readiness for all options, in order to exhaust all other remedial mechanisms. War is not ideal for my economic reforms, nor for the region, but the defense of democracy is sacrosanct. The ECOWAS consensus is that we will not allow anyone to insincerely buy time,” the ECOWAS Authority Chairman affirmed.
In her remarks, the envoy pledged its support for the position of ECOWAS, and expressed the high regard the U.S. has for the leadership of the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Tinubu, and extended an exclusive invitation from President Biden to meet on the sidelines of UNGA.
“We know there is more we can do to incentivize large-scale American investment in Nigeria and we are committed to working closely with you to achieve that, as part of efforts to strengthen the Nigerian economy and the regional economy. We appreciate your willingness to create an enabling environment for that.
“President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It is a mark of his high regard for your leadership,” the U.S. Special Envoy said.
