Obama meets Buhari, assures of US support

President Muhammadu Buhari was on Monday at the White House where he met with US President Barack Obama who restated the US readiness to work with Nigeria on ensuring that the African nation could fulfill its potential in providing leadership, not just to West Africa but making its mark among the comity of nations.

In remarks to reporters beforehand, Obama said Buhari had a clear agenda to defeat Boko Haram and to root out corruption in his country, noting that Nigerians had continued to make significant marks in different fields outside the shores of Nigeria, saying the nation had the resources to be great.

The meeting marked an effort to shore up relations between the US and the nation with Africa’s largest economy and to seek additional assistance in the fight against terror group, Boko Haram.

The Oval Office meeting was also due to cover the economy and corruption in Nigeria.

Obama also pledged US support for Buhari to root out Boko Haram and develop the country.

Obama said he was sure that the Nigerian President had a clear idea of what to do and unwavering in his focus to entrench democratic values in the country.

Buhari on his part, hailed the US for “putting pressure” upon the immediate past government in Nigeria to ensure that the March and April elections held, adding that his visit to the US was a product of that pressure.

White House officials said the fact that Buhari was arriving in Washington so soon after taking office was a sign of the importance the US places on relations with Nigeria.

The president, who arrived at Joint Based Andrews Airport Washington, was received by the Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Mrs Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and Mr James Entwistle, US Ambassador to Nigeria.

NAN reports that the President, who left the airport straight to the Blair House, his guest house at Pennsylvania Avenue, immediately went into meetings with officials of the United States government.

On Monday, the President is slated to have breakfast meeting on governance to be hosted by the US Vice-President Joe Biden, before his meeting with Obama.

The main event of Buhari on Monday is his meeting with Obama.

The meeting, slated for 11am local time (about 5pm) Nigerian time, will be taking place at the Oval Office White House.

Other events on Monday include Media Chat with the Secretary of Commerce, ECOWAS Ambasssdors in Washington, US Attorney General, Secretary of Treasury and a group of potential investors.

Buhari is also to be hosted to a dinner by the US Chamber of Commerce and Corporate Council.

Read also: US offers to retrieve Nigeria’s stolen funds

On Tuesday, the president will have interactive session with the media at 7am and later meet with officials of the World Health Organisation on economic assistance programme for the North-East.

The president will meet with the President of the World Bank group as well as the representative of the Bill Gates Foundation.

He will also meet with the US Secretary of State John Kerry, Director of the CIA and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Buhari’s meeting with the class of 1980 US Army War College, where the president is an alumnus, will also hold on Tuesday, after which he will address a joint session of the Senate and House committees on Foreign Affairs at the Capitol Hill.

Buhari will address Nigerian Youths in the United States at the Chancery as well as participate in a town hall meeting with Nigerians in Diaspora.

He will wrap up the visit with interactive session with the Nigerian media and the National Democratic Institute before departing for Nigeria on Wednesday.

Ripples… without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now