The United States (US) Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, called Nigeria’s President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to restate his commitment to consolidating on the relationship between both countries.
The spokesperson for Secretary Blinken, Matthew Miller, said on Tuesday, that Blinken emphasised his commitment to partner with the incoming administration to broaden the partnership between the United States and Nigeria.
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke this morning with Nigerian President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emphasise his continued commitment to further strengthening the U.S.-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration,” Miller said.
Miller added that Secretary Blinken and the president-elect discussed the importance of inclusive leadership that represents all Nigerians, continued comprehensive security collaboration, and reforms to boost economic development.
Among other things, they deliberated on inclusive leadership, current comprehensive security cooperation, and economic reforms.
The US Secretary stated that the cooperation between the United States and Nigeria is based on mutual interests and strong people-to-people ties.
He added that Blinken noted the ties between both countries should continue to strengthen under President-elect Tinubu’s tenure.
This is coming days after the United States government, through its secretary of state, slammed visa restrictions on specific individuals who undermined the democratic process during Nigeria’s 2023 elections.
Blinken stated, “Today, I’m announcing that we’ve taken steps to impose visa restrictions on specific Nigerian citizens for subverting the democratic process during Nigeria’s 2023 election cycle.
He added that the US’ decision to restrict visas is part of its commitment to help Nigeria boost its democratic processes while upholding democracy.