United States Secretary of State, Mrs. Hilary Clinton yesterday met
with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,
declaring that if the economic reforms being implemented is carried out
to a logical end, “the future for Nigeria is limitless.”
Clinton also charged President Jonathan to ensure that there are
better opportunities for all Nigerians so that every young boy and girl
will have chance to fulfill his or her God given potential.
She pledged that the American government will work closely with
Nigeria in order to make the reforms embarked upon by the government to
endure “and take the tough decisions that are necessary.”
Clinton, who arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja
was driven straight to the Presidential Villa where she was received at
the foyer of the President’s office by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru.
She arrived by 3.52 p.m. with a retinue of aides and media team. Her
convoy drove into the foyer of the President’s office, a honour granted
to only visiting Heads of State and Government. Ashiru led Clinton into
the President’s office for a formal welcome and meeting with President
Jonathan. Both the American and Nigerian delegations later went into
talks.
After the meeting, Clinton said: “You know how committed United
States and the Obama administration is to our partnership with your
country. We consider it absolutely vital to our bi-National Commission,
which has helped us to expand and deepen our co-operation on full range
of issues. We are working on economic matters, the improvement of
productivity in agriculture, education and health, security,
diversification of your economy and so much more. We intend to remain
very supportive on your reform efforts. Thank you for mentioning the
work we did together on the election.
“We were also very supportive of anti-corruption reform efforts, more
transparency in the work that you and your team are also championing
because we really believe that the future for Nigeria is limitless. But
the most important task that you face, as you have said, is making sure
that there are better opportunities for all Nigerians, South, East,
West, every young boy and girl to have chance to fulfill his God given
potential. We want to work with you and we will be by your side as you
make the reforms and take the tough decisions that are necessary.”
President Jonathan extolled the roles played by President Barrack
Obama and Mrs. Clinton in supporting the deepening of democracy and good
governance in Africa.
He said: “Within this period of being Secretary of State, she
(Clinton) has raised the relationship between Nigeria and America to a
very high level that we have never reached for quiet some time by
personally chairing the Bi-national commission and we have discussed
various things - security, economy and so on and so forth. She has been
very supportive. And of course, the President of America, President
Obama administration is also quiet passionate about Africa and
Nigeria. He has always been very supportive of us for the past five
years, from the days I came in as Vice President, especially that period
as a nation that we faced a lot of challenges when the late President
was very ill and we passed through turbulent period.
The support given us is one of those support that stabilised this
country. When we insisted we must conduct an election that is free and
fair, as the only way we can stabilise democracy, they were very
supportive. They gave us moral support and gave technical support to
INEC and assisted us to make sure that we conducted elections that
national and international observers declared as free and fair. So, let
me on behalf of government and good people of Nigeria really thank you
and President Obama and the good people of America for this your support
for Nigeria and Africa and all what you are doing to make sure that
this part of the globe develop.”
Among members of the Nigerian delegation to the meeting were
Ministers of Finance (Dr. Okonjo-Iweala), Agriculture (Dr. Akinwumi
Adesina), Power (Barth Nnaji), Petroleum Resources (Deziani Alison
Madueke) and Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada. Others
at the meeting include the National Security Adviser (Col. Sambo Dasuki
(rtd)), Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyin Petinrin,
Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika, Inspector
General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar and Director General of
State Security Services, Mr Ita Ekpeyong.
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