United States’ President, Joe Biden, has commended President Bola Tinubu for his “strong leadership”, especially in his role as the chairman of the ECOWAS.
President Joe Biden met with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of the G20 in New Delhi, India to reinforce our enduring commitment to the U.S.-Nigeria relationship and to the longstanding friendship between our two countries and peoples.
President Biden welcomed the Tinubu Administration’s steps to reform Nigeria’s economy and also thanked President Tinubu for his strong leadership as the chair of the Economic Community of West African States to defend and preserve democracy and the rule of law in Niger and the broader region. Nigeria’s invitation to the G20 Summit is a recognition of Nigeria’s important global role as Africa’s largest democracy and economy
Tinubu in his role as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – a sub-regional group to which the Niger Republic belongs – had swiftly condemned the coup and imposed sanctions on the new regime.
ECOWAS had also dispatched a series of delegations, including the one led by Abdulsalami Abubakar, former military head of state, to negotiate with the country’s military junta.
In a statement released by the White House during the second day of the G20 summit in India, the US president commented Tinubu for preserving the rule of law in Niger and also acknowledged his national economic policies in Nigeria.
The US president added that America is committed to “reinforcing its longstanding relationship” with Nigeria.
Biden also acknowledged the steps taken by Tinubu’s administration “to reform Nigeria’s economy”.
He thanked the Nigerian president for his “strong leadership” as the chair of ECOWAS, towards defending democracy and preserving the rule of law in Niger and the broader region.
“Nigeria’s invitation to the G20 Summit is a recognition of Nigeria’s important global role as Africa’s largest democracy and economy Republic amid military takeover,” Biden said.
On August 26, in a meeting with Molly Phee, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Tinubu said the crisis in Niger is detrimental to the economic reforms in Nigeria.
The president maintained that although he is holding ECOWAS from military intervention in Niger Republic, defending democracy in the region is sacrosanct, adding that the “consensus is that we will not allow anyone to insincerely buy time”.
“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.
“War is not ideal for my economic reforms, nor for the region, but the defence of democracy is sacrosanct,” Tinubu said.
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