E.R.R

E.R.R

Monday, July 20, 2015

BUHARI’S VISIT TO USA WASHINGTON, DC –Photos

  

Buhari O

I’m impressed with Buhari’s work so far – Obama



STATEMENTS BY OBAMA AND BUHARI AT THE WHITEHOUSE 



REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA
AND PRESIDENT BUHARI OF NIGERIA
BEFORE BILATERAL MEETING
Oval Office

     PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, it’s a great pleasure to welcome President Buhari and his delegation here to the Oval Office for his first visit since the historic election that took place.
     Nigeria is obviously one of the important countries in the world and one of the most important countries in the African continent.  Recently, we saw an election in which a peaceful transition to a new government took place.  And it was an affirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to democracy, a recognition that although Nigeria is a big country and a diverse country with many different parts, nevertheless the people of Nigeria understand that only through a peaceful political process can change take place.
     President Buhari comes into office with a reputation for integrity and a very clear agenda, and that is to make sure that he is bringing safety and security and peace to his country.  He’s very concerned about the spread of Boko Haram and the violence that’s taken place there, and the atrocities that they’ve carried out, and has a very clear agenda in defeating Boko Haram and extremists of all sorts inside of his country.  And he has a very clear agenda with respect to rooting out the corruption that too often has held back the economic growth and prosperity of his country.
     On both these issues, we’re looking forward to hearing more about his plans and how the United States can partner with Nigeria so that Nigeria ends up being an anchor not only of prosperity and stability in the eastern part of the continent, but can also be an outstanding role model for developing countries around the world.
And we very much look forward to talking about security issues, how we can cooperate on counterterrorism.  We’re looking forward to discussing how we can be helpful in addressing some of the corruption issues that have held Nigeria back, and unleashing the incredible talent of the Nigerian people.  We all recognize that some of the best businesspeople in the world are from Nigeria, and they thrive as they travel to other countries, but we want to make sure that they’re also helping folks thrive in Nigeria.
We’re also going to have an opportunity to talk about some of the other areas where Nigeria has taken leadership — in public health issues, fighting tragedies like Ebola.  Nigeria has an outstanding track record working with us to eradicate polio, and that gives us a framework and a template to continue to work on public health issues throughout the western part of Africa, as well as throughout the subcontinent.
We’ll have a chance to talk about issues of climate change, electrification.  As many of you know, Power Africa is one of our top priorities, making sure that we’re electrifying the continent so that it can grow faster and more people have access to the power that they need.
So we’ve got a busy agenda, but I want to emphasize how much I appreciate President Buhari’s work so far.  I’m looking forward to seeing him put together his team so that we can do everything that we can to help him succeed and help the people of Nigeria succeed.  Because if they’re successful and doing well, that will have a ripple effect not only in West Africa, but throughout the world.
So thank you very much.
Mr. President.
PRESIDENT BUHARI:  Nigeria will remain ever grateful to President Obama and the United States for making Nigeria to consolidate its gains on a democratic system.  The visit of the Secretary of State, when he visited Nigeria to see the President and the whole government of Nigeria, see the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission for Nigeria, and saw the operation was very clear and a positive trend that saw us through for this credible election we had.
And the maintenance of pressure by the United States, mainly, and Europe, to make sure that the elections were free, fair and credible led us to where we are now.  It would have been almost impossible if the United States did not maintain the pressure on the former Nigerian government, but they would not accept anything less constitutional as far as the processes of the election are concerned.  We will ever remain grateful to you because there are fundamental objectives that are identify all of Nigeria’s people’s Congress — security, economy, employment especially of youth, and then fighting corruption.
We are extremely happy that the United States had made it absolutely clear before the election that they are prepared to help Nigeria in this aspect.  And this is why I am here, and I am very grateful for the invitation Mr. President extended to me.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you so much.
Q    Mr. President, the Security Council approved the deal.  Will that help you in Congress?
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I think it will send a clear message that the overwhelming number of countries who not only participated in the deal, the P5+1, but who have observed what’s happened, recognize that this is by far our strongest approach to ensuring that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon.  There is broad international consensus around this issue — not just among the international community, but also among experts in nuclear proliferation.  And my working assumption is that Congress will pay attention to the broad-based consensus.




President Barrack Obama on Monday stated that he was impressed with the work of President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria since he resumed office, noting that, can tackle the multiple challenges facing Nigeria.
Obama gave the assurance in Washington DC, when he received Buhari, who was on 4-day official visit to the United States. “I want to emphasize how much I appreciate President Buhari’s work so far. I have seen him put together a team so that we can do everything that we can to help him succeed and help the people of Nigeria succeed.According to him, Buhari has come with a clear agenda to tackle the problem of insecurity occasioned by the activities of Boko Haram sect as well as other violence criminal activities.Obama expressed appreciation to Buhari’s leadership style so far, saying that his administration would continue to assist and help Nigeria in overcoming its challenges.“It is a great pleasure to welcome President Buhari and his delegation here in the White House for his first visit since the historic election that took place“Nigeria is obviously one of the most important countries in the world, one of the most important countries in the African continent.
Buhari O
“Recently, we saw an election in which a peaceful transition to a new government took place. Nevertheless, the people of Nigeria understand that only through a peaceful political process that can change takes place.“President Buhari came into office with reputation for integrity and a very clear agenda that is to make sure that he has been bringing safely security and peace to his country.“He is very concerned about the spread and the violence that is taking place there and the atrocities and has a very clear agenda in defeating Boko Haram and extremists.Obama also assured that American government would continue to partner with Nigeria in ensuring political stability in Africa and around the world.He described Nigeria as one of the most important countries in the world and congratulated the country for conducting peaceful elections.He also commended Nigeria for taking leadership position in the fight against the spread of diseases like Ebola and Polio and pledged that his administration would continue to accord Nigeria the necessary recognition to bring peace to Africa and the world.In his remarks, President Buhari commended the American Government under the leadership of President Obama for mounting pressure on former Jonathan’s administration to conduct a free and fair election in Nigeria.According to him, Nigeria will remain forever grateful to America for this singular act.The visit of the Secretary of State before the elections to see the former president, the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission and the opposition was a positive trend that “saw us through the elections”.“And the maintenance of pressure by United States mainly and Europe to make sure that the elections were free, fair and credible made us to be where we are now.“It would have been almost impossible if the United States did not maintain the pressure on the former Nigerian Government.”Buhari, therefore, thanked Obama for inviting him to visit his country as well as his administration’s support to Nigeria.


Wherever Nigeria goes, Africa goes. The continent's destiny is tied to Nigeria's, says Obama.

America had been beleaguered by terrorists, who launched massive attacks that killed thousands in September 2001, while Nigeria battles the Boko Haram sect causing carnage in the North-eastern part of the country.
At the meeting, which held at the Naval Observatory, official residence of the American Vice President, Biden shared with his guest what the U.S had learnt from the terror war, counseling that victory cannot come from military option alone.
Military option must be combined with strong socio-economic support programmes, VP Biden said, promising that the U.S would work with Nigeria in that direction.
VP Biden assured of the goodwill of the United States in rebuilding the Nigerian economy, but observed that corruption and weak institutions must be tackled, if Nigeria was to benefit from reforms. He added that seasoned technocrats must manage key sectors of the Nigerian economy, and only then would investors be attracted to the country.
The American number 2 man congratulated President Buhari on his victory at the March 2015 elections, adding that it was obvious that the President enjoys the confidence of the Nigerian people.
Responding, President Buhari thanked the U.S for standing by Nigeria in the run up to general elections early this year, noting that the visit of the Secretary of State, John Kerry, was critical as it sent home the message that America would not brook the subversion of the people's will.
On oil theft, the Nigerian President estimated losses at between 10 and 20 billion dollars, stressing that such income could have been deployed with salutary impact on various spheres of national life like education and healthcare, among others.
Both America and Nigeria pledged renewed commitment to work as partners at the very insightful meeting.
Military option must be combined with strong socio-economic support programmes, VP Biden said, promising that the U.S would work with Nigeria in that direction.
VP Biden assured of the goodwill of the United States in rebuilding the Nigerian economy, but observed that corruption and weak institutions must be tackled, if Nigeria was to benefit from reforms. He added that seasoned technocrats must manage key sectors of the Nigerian economy, and only then would investors be attracted to the country.
The American number 2 man congratulated President Buhari on his victory at the March 2015 elections, adding that it was obvious that the President enjoys the confidence of the Nigerian people.
Responding, President Buhari thanked the U.S for standing by Nigeria in the run up to general elections early this year, noting that the visit of the Secretary of State, John Kerry, was critical as it sent home the message that America would not brook the subversion of the people's will.
On oil theft, the Nigerian President estimated losses at between 10 and 20 billion dollars, stressing that such income could have been deployed with salutary impact on various spheres of national life like education and healthcare, among others.
Both America and Nigeria pledged renewed commitment to work as partners at the very insightful meeting.
Military option must be combined with strong socio-economic support programmes, VP Biden said, promising that the U.S would work with Nigeria in that direction.
VP Biden assured of the goodwill of the United States in rebuilding the Nigerian economy, but observed that corruption and weak institutions must be tackled, if Nigeria was to benefit from reforms. He added that seasoned technocrats must manage key sectors of the Nigerian economy, and only then would investors be attracted to the country.
The American number 2 man congratulated President Buhari on his victory at the March 2015 elections, adding that it was obvious that the President enjoys the confidence of the Nigerian people.
Responding, President Buhari thanked the U.S for standing by Nigeria in the run up to general elections early this year, noting that the visit of the Secretary of State, John Kerry, was critical as it sent home the message that America would not brook the subversion of the people's will.
On oil theft, the Nigerian President estimated losses at between 10 and 20 billion dollars, stressing that such income could have been deployed with salutary impact on various spheres of national life like education and healthcare, among others.
Both America and Nigeria pledged renewed commitment to work as partners at the very insightful meeting.
The breakfast meeting hosted today by American Vice President, Joe Biden, afforded him opportunity to compare notes with his guest, President Muhammadu Buhari on the terror war.



FEMI ADESINA
SPECIAL ADVISER, MEDIA AND PUBLICITY
JULY 20, 2015

No comments: