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2011 Elections: U.S Undersecretary Visits Abuja
- By Williams Ekanem
- Published August 23rd, 2010
- Washington File
- Unrated
CHAIRMAN, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Farida Waziri met with Under Secretary for democracy and Global Affairs Mario Otero last week at the State Department in Washington D.C. on a follow-up on discussions on good governance, transparency and integrity.
Although details of the meeting were not made public, BusinessWorld gathered that deliberations centered on tackling the high rate of corruption in the country.
The meeting also served as a prelude to the visit of the U.S undersecretary this week to Abuja. The visit, the second by Otero in three months to Nigeria is principally connected with the forth coming general elections in the country.
Only a fortnight ago, U.S secretary of state, Hilary Clinton hinted that “ Under Secretary Maria Otero will return to Nigeria at the end of this month to follow-up on election preparations with the Independent National Election Commission.”
She added that the group on good governance, transparency, and integrity has already begun working together in preparation for Nigeria’s upcoming 2011 elections.
Speaking after a bilateral meeting with Nigeria’s foreign Minister, Henry Ajumogobia Clinton indicated that the Nigerian people deserve a responsible government that rejects corruption, enforces the rule of law, respects human rights, and works on behalf of the betterment of the Nigerian people. That, according to her, is the driving principle behind the U.S.-Nigerian Binational Commission which is focused on four critical areas: good governance and transparency, energy reform and investment, regional security and the Niger Delta, and food security and agriculture.
Commenting on direct U.S. involvement in the 2011 elections, the secretary of states pointed out that “the United States has offered assistance and we stand ready to be of help in any way that is appropriate. We’re working with the United Kingdom on some of the preparations for the elections. But ultimately, we recognize that the sustainability of democracy lies in the hands of the Nigerian people.”
In his comments, Ajumogobia said Nigeria welcomes whatever support in terms of training, training support for those who ad hoc (inaudible) personnel who are going to be conducting elections. We welcome support in logistics. It’s a large country. The United States is a large country, there’s a lot of experience that you have in conducting elections over a very long period. We haven’t had that tradition for much of our – much of the last 50 years.
According to the foreign minister, the federal government is committed to free and fair elections, not because the United States has asked us to do this, but because it’s in our own interest to do so.
Although details of the meeting were not made public, BusinessWorld gathered that deliberations centered on tackling the high rate of corruption in the country.
The meeting also served as a prelude to the visit of the U.S undersecretary this week to Abuja. The visit, the second by Otero in three months to Nigeria is principally connected with the forth coming general elections in the country.
Only a fortnight ago, U.S secretary of state, Hilary Clinton hinted that “ Under Secretary Maria Otero will return to Nigeria at the end of this month to follow-up on election preparations with the Independent National Election Commission.”
She added that the group on good governance, transparency, and integrity has already begun working together in preparation for Nigeria’s upcoming 2011 elections.
Speaking after a bilateral meeting with Nigeria’s foreign Minister, Henry Ajumogobia Clinton indicated that the Nigerian people deserve a responsible government that rejects corruption, enforces the rule of law, respects human rights, and works on behalf of the betterment of the Nigerian people. That, according to her, is the driving principle behind the U.S.-Nigerian Binational Commission which is focused on four critical areas: good governance and transparency, energy reform and investment, regional security and the Niger Delta, and food security and agriculture.
Commenting on direct U.S. involvement in the 2011 elections, the secretary of states pointed out that “the United States has offered assistance and we stand ready to be of help in any way that is appropriate. We’re working with the United Kingdom on some of the preparations for the elections. But ultimately, we recognize that the sustainability of democracy lies in the hands of the Nigerian people.”
In his comments, Ajumogobia said Nigeria welcomes whatever support in terms of training, training support for those who ad hoc (inaudible) personnel who are going to be conducting elections. We welcome support in logistics. It’s a large country. The United States is a large country, there’s a lot of experience that you have in conducting elections over a very long period. We haven’t had that tradition for much of our – much of the last 50 years.
According to the foreign minister, the federal government is committed to free and fair elections, not because the United States has asked us to do this, but because it’s in our own interest to do so.
