Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has urged the US to work more closely with independent African democracies to counter anti-democratic forces.
In a meeting with US Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, Tinubu said that American-backed development finance and multilateral institutions need to be reformed to meet the needs of younger democracies in Africa.
“The legitimate yearnings of Africans should not be manipulated to serve the narrow aims of self-seeking demagogues through unconstitutional takeovers of power,” Tinubu said.
He also called on the US to be more innovative in its thinking and to create incentives for US industrial investment in Nigeria.
“Under my leadership, Nigeria stands ready to address their specific regulatory, tax and environmental concerns,” Tinubu said.
Phee pledged the US’s support for the position of ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc, and extended an invitation from US President Joe Biden to Tinubu to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City in late September.
Tinubu accepted the invitation and said that the work of perfecting democracy is never done, even in developed democracies.
“As we have seen recently in America, as well as other emerging democracies in the world, the defense of democracy is sacrosanct,” Tinubu said.
The meeting between Tinubu and Phee comes at a time when Nigeria and other West African countries are facing a number of challenges, including insecurity, economic hardship, and political instability.
The US is a major ally of Nigeria and has been providing support for the country’s democratic development. The meeting between Tinubu and Biden is seen as a sign of the importance that the US places on Nigeria and its role in West Africa.
Source: TheGuardian
OLACANDID (
)
