The real reasons why Obama is not visiting Nigeria
The United States on Tuesday
hinted on the
reasons why President Barack
Obama won't
visit Nigeria during his upcoming
three-nation trip to Africa.
According to US officials, the
ongoing
insecurity appeared to be
responsible for the
exclusion of Nigeria in Obama's second visit
to the continent.
Obama is scheduled to visit
Senegal,
Tanzania and South Africa.
The US government said the trip would focus
on trade and investment,
democratic
institution-building, young people,
and
enhancing economic growth. American Deputy National
Security Advisor,
Ben Rhodes, made this
clarifications at a
briefing on Tuesday.
The briefing was addressed jointly with the
Senior Director for African
Affairs Grant Harris
and Senior Director for
Development and
Democracy Gayle Smith, on Obama's
upcoming visit.
The text of the briefing was
made available
to journalists in Abuja by the
Information Office of the Public Affairs
Section of the US
Embassy.
Rhodes said, "With respect to
Nigeria, we
certainly believe that Nigeria is a fundamentally important country
to the future
of Africa. We've put a lot of
investment in the
relationship with Nigeria through
their leadership of ECOWAS, through
the
significant US business
investment in Nigeria
and through our security
cooperation. "Obviously, Nigeria is working
through some
very challenging security issues
right now.
And in that process, they're
going to be a partner of the United States. We
certainly
believe we'll have an opportunity
to further
engage the Nigerian government
through bilateral meetings going forward.
But at this
point, we just were not able to
make it to
Nigeria on this particular
itinerary. "I will say that we purposefully
designed the
itineraries to be able to reach
West Africa,
South Africa and East Africa, and
in West Africa, to visit Senegal, a French-
speaking,
Muslim-majority democracy that
is an
important partner of the United
States and also provides a platform for the
President to
speak to the broader region.
"We are also looking at ways, at
the
President's town hall in South Africa with
young African leaders, to draw in
through
technology young people in
Nigeria and in
Kenya, among other places, so that the
President is using this trip to
speak to the
broader African audience. We
recognize
we'd like to go to as many countries as
possible.''
@LastßornNews(07060428346)
hinted on the
reasons why President Barack
Obama won't
visit Nigeria during his upcoming
three-nation trip to Africa.
According to US officials, the
ongoing
insecurity appeared to be
responsible for the
exclusion of Nigeria in Obama's second visit
to the continent.
Obama is scheduled to visit
Senegal,
Tanzania and South Africa.
The US government said the trip would focus
on trade and investment,
democratic
institution-building, young people,
and
enhancing economic growth. American Deputy National
Security Advisor,
Ben Rhodes, made this
clarifications at a
briefing on Tuesday.
The briefing was addressed jointly with the
Senior Director for African
Affairs Grant Harris
and Senior Director for
Development and
Democracy Gayle Smith, on Obama's
upcoming visit.
The text of the briefing was
made available
to journalists in Abuja by the
Information Office of the Public Affairs
Section of the US
Embassy.
Rhodes said, "With respect to
Nigeria, we
certainly believe that Nigeria is a fundamentally important country
to the future
of Africa. We've put a lot of
investment in the
relationship with Nigeria through
their leadership of ECOWAS, through
the
significant US business
investment in Nigeria
and through our security
cooperation. "Obviously, Nigeria is working
through some
very challenging security issues
right now.
And in that process, they're
going to be a partner of the United States. We
certainly
believe we'll have an opportunity
to further
engage the Nigerian government
through bilateral meetings going forward.
But at this
point, we just were not able to
make it to
Nigeria on this particular
itinerary. "I will say that we purposefully
designed the
itineraries to be able to reach
West Africa,
South Africa and East Africa, and
in West Africa, to visit Senegal, a French-
speaking,
Muslim-majority democracy that
is an
important partner of the United
States and also provides a platform for the
President to
speak to the broader region.
"We are also looking at ways, at
the
President's town hall in South Africa with
young African leaders, to draw in
through
technology young people in
Nigeria and in
Kenya, among other places, so that the
President is using this trip to
speak to the
broader African audience. We
recognize
we'd like to go to as many countries as
possible.''
@LastßornNews(07060428346)
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