Says Nigeria has a massive reputation for corruption
FG remains committed to human rights – Buhari
‘I won’t pressure US to buy Nigeria oil’
‘I’d like to visit Nigeria’
President Donald Trump has declared that the United States “will not condone the on-going killings across central Nigeria,” adding that efforts would be made to end the carnage. He stated this yesterday while receiving President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House.
“We’ve had very serious problems with Christians who have been murdered, killed in Nigeria. We’re going to be working on that problem… because we can’t allow that to happen,” Trump said, while receiving President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House yesterday. Hundreds of Nigerians have been killed by suspected herdsmen in Christian-dominated states like Benue and Taraba since January 1.
Buhari promised to do something about the situation, which had been amongst the toughest challenges for his government this year. The two leaders also discussed other issues bordering on trade development during the meeting, which is the first for a leader from sub-Saharan Africa.
Trump also said that “Nigeria has a massive corruption problem. He, however, said the U.S. “will continue to offer its support for Nigeria to proffer a lasting solution to the menace.” “Nigeria has a massive reputation for corruption. I discussed it with the president and we agreed to do something about it. We are working to cut the corruption cases down.”
Buhari did not object to the observation, which he had repeatedly acknowledged publicly himself, and instead showed appreciation for the support of the U.S. Asked whether he was offended by Trump’s alleged denigration of African countries in the past, President Buhari said he was skeptical about the media reports and would rather not comment on them.
“I am being careful about what the press says about others and myself, but the best thing for me to do is to keep quiet,” he said. However, Buhari said his government had done a lot to curb human rights abuses in Nigeria, especially in the ongoing war against Boko Haram. “The government of Nigeria remains committed to human rights, even in the course of fighting terrorism.”
Buhari said he had no problem with the presence of American troops in Nigeria, adding that they were only in Nigeria to offer training and other support “that are crucial to winning the war against terrorism.”
“This is one of the best things the United States could do for our country,” he said when asked whether he was concerned about the police role being played by America across the world or not. Trump said Buhari’s comments were fair but added that he would want to see America scale back its supervisory role across the world while improving trade with other countries. “We want to police our country. What we want to do now is to open Nigeria and other countries to trade,” he said.
On the concerns about low patronage of Nigerian crude by the U.S. in recent years, Buhari said he would not tell another country what to do. He praised the U.S. for its technological innovations that had helped reduce its reliance on oil. I’d like to visit Nigeria Meanwhile, President Trump has said he would like to visit Nigeria, describing it as an “amazing country.”
Trump spoke while receiving President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House. “Well, I would like very much to visit Nigeria. It is an amazing country. In certain ways, I hear from the standpoint of the beauty of a country — there’s no country more beautiful,” he said. Trump received Buhari in his first meeting with a leader from sub-Saharan Africa at the White House. The two leaders emphasised the need to improve trade, technology and human rights records. Buhari acknowledged Trump’s mild gesture about Nigeria’s beauty but did not immediately say whether he would invite him to Nigeria.
The last sitting American president to visit Nigeria was George Bush, who came in 2003 for discussions with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Trump rejected demands that he should relax his stringent immigration policy to allow migrants from a poorer country, saying the U.S. is operating “a stupid” immigration policy that had made it the butt of jokes across the world.
