The
United States has acknowledged Nigeria’s challenges and told President
Muhammadu Buhari administration that building Nigeria would not be “an
overnight operation.”
The
US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, who stated this on Wednesday at the
US-Nigeria Binational Commission’s meeting in Washington, said America wanted
Nigeria to succeed.
He
stated, “You know there are challenges. That’s what your election was
about. And so we are all aware that the world right now is facing many
different challenges in terms of governance in various parts of the world and
for various reasons: absence of capital, absence of structure, having to build
capacity.
“These
things take time. Nobody is pretending that it’s an overnight
operation. It wasn’t for us. And some people sometimes are very
revisionist in America about our own history, but we’ve gone through some very
difficult periods and very difficult issues.”
Kerry
recalled that America took slavery out of its constitution after it had been
written in, adding that it was no small task.
He
stated, “We’ve been through a history. And what we’re trying to do is,
really, share with people the shortcut, if you will – how you can manage to
avoid some of the mistakes that we’ve made in the course of our own development
in ways that can embrace the hopes and the aspirations of millions upon
millions of people. That’s what this is about.”
He
added that Nigeria was finding very vibrant expression in every branch of the
arts. He said that like the United States, Nigeria “is a diverse
country with a very large and assertive civil society.”
Kerry
said, “The United States, let me be clear, is very encouraged by
President Buhari’s commitment to an economy that is more diversified, less
dependent on a single commodity for export earnings, and that means we need to
develop sustainability.
“Sustainable
growth depends on a climate that is welcoming to investment and respectful of
the environment and of workers’ rights. And we have learned in these last
25, 30 years that it is never a competition between the environment and
development.
“That is a false choice – completely false, and particularly in the context of
today’s challenge of climate change. You can develop in ways that protect
the environment and also are competitive and provide jobs for people.”
According
to him, Nigeria’s future is in Nigerians’ hands. He said the United
States would help Nigeria.
“Our
development assistance this year will top $600m, and we are working closely
with your leaders – the leaders of your health ministry – to halt the misery
that is spread by HIV/AIDS, by malaria, and by TB,” he added.
He
explained that the US Power Africa Initiative was aimed at strengthening the
energy sector where shortage in electricity had frustrated the population and
impeded growth.
He
explained that America’s long-term food security programme, Feed the Future,
would help to create more efficient agriculture and to raise rural incomes in
doing that.
Kerry
said that under Buhari’s administration, Nigeria had been taking the fight to Boko
Haram and had reduced Boko Haram’s capacity to launch full-scale attacks.
He,
however, stated that the group remained a threat to the entire region,
adding that the US and Nigerian governments had been collaborating on new
ways to institute security measures.
“The
threat that is posed by Boko Haram is serious, but it must not – and I really
believe this – it will not be allowed to shape Nigeria’s future. Nigeria
is a country with could almost boundless capacity for economic growth,” he
stated.
He also said no country could make progress with a culture of impunity.
The
US also supported Nigeria’s fight against corruption. The secretary of state
also backed Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s efforts to
prosecute corruption cases.
Kerry
said that no country, including Nigeria, could make progress with a culture of
impunity.
He
stated, “We back the role of civil society and of the media in exposing
corruption and in advocating for greater transparency.
“And
we emphasise the message that in the United States, we don’t have a
holier-than-thou attitude about this. Believe me, we don’t. We’ve
had our own challenges with organised crime through some of our history, but we
have fought back against it.
“And
we have fought back against it with prosecutors, who are above reproach, above
the possibility of any kind of interference, and that has made all the
difference in the world. You cannot have impunity in your culture – in
anybody’s culture – and expect to be able to make progress.”
He
added that all countries should emphasise that the fact that the soliciting of
a bribe at any level of government could not be considered business as usual.
In
his address, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said it had not been
easy for Nigeria.
“President
Buhari has really persisted. He is somebody, as you all know, whose
unimpeachable integrity is respected in Nigeria and around the world. And
it was not an easy task for him in opposition to come into power, but as you
found also with your incumbent President, anything and everything is possible,”
he said.
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