Biden shows interest to meet with Tinubu, says American Envoy
The American President Joe Biden has shown interest to meet his Nigeria counterpart, President Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in New York City to advance discussions further in late September.
Penpushing reports that United States of America (USA) Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Molly Phee made this known on Saturday when she was on a visit to Tinubu in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
‘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. 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 and the regional economy’, she said
’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’, Phee added.
The American Government pledged its support for the position of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), expressing the high regard the it has for the leadership of Tinubu as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government.
Penpushing further reports that Nigeria’s President while speaking tasked the United States of America (USA) 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 President in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Ajuri Ngelale, also confirmed the message of Biden as relayed by Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Molly Phee, indicating interest to meet Tinubu
Penpushing also reports that Tinubu noted 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.
The Nigeria’s President emphasised 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’, he added.
Penpushing reports that Tinubu pointed out 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 Economic Community of West African States(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’, he stated.
‘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’,Tinubu emphaised.
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