President Bola Tinubu has tasked the US to collaborate with African countries in defending its democracies against anti-democratic forces within and outside the continent in order to improve on its peoples living standard.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement, disclosed that the president said this when he received the US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Molly Phee, in Abuja on Saturday. Ms Phee, as part of her message, told the Nigerian leader that US President Joe Biden wants to meet with Mr Tinubu.
“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,” she was quoted as telling the Nigerian president.
Mr Tinubu said that the American-backed development finance and multilateral institutions required comprehensive reforms to meet the developmental requirements of younger democracies in Africa, which operate in authoritarian-crowded environments.
He said that this must be done with vigour as the institutions designed policies to support war-torn Europe after World War II, adding that this would meet the legitimate yearnings of Africans of using local solutions for its challenges.
“Yes, the private sector will lead the way within an enabling environment we create for them, but the US Government must be innovative in its thinking and systematically create incentives for US industrial investment in Nigeria.
‘’Under my leadership, Nigeria stands ready to address their specific regulatory, tax and environmental concerns. I am determined to create prosperity for all Nigerian families,” the president said.
Mr Tinubu said that the crisis in Niger Republic would not deter him from concluding his economic reform programme for the benefit of Nigerians, adding that he would only advance the interest of Nigeria 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 on 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 defence of democracy is sacrosanct. The ECOWAS consensus is that we will not allow anyone to insincerely buy time,” Mr Tinubu, who is the ECOWAS chairman, said.
Pledging its support for the position of ECOWAS, the US Special Presidential Envoy expressed the high regard the US Administration has for the leadership of Mr Tinubu as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
She extended an exclusive invitation from US President Joe Biden, to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City to advance discussions further in late September.
Source: Source: premiumtimesng.com
