Tinubu seeks US support for economy, accepts Biden’s UNGA invitation

…Says ” Niger crises will not deter us”

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday advised Molly Phee, the U.S. presidential envoy and assistant secretary of state for African affairs, to ensure that U.S. policy is intentionally collaborative to deepen democracy in Africa, at a time when they are under assault by anti-democratic forces within and outside of the continent.

The President stated this on Saturday when he hosted Phee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja

The President noted that American-backed development finance and multilateral institutions, which were designed to support war-torn Europe after World War II, require swift and comprehensive reform to meet the developmental requirements of younger democracies in Africa which operate in authoritarian-crowded environments.

He declared that such efforts will help to ensure that legitimate yearnings of Africans would no longer be manipulated to serve the narrow aims of self-seeking demagogues through unconstitutional takeovers of power.

“Yes, the private sector will lead the way within an enabling environment we create for them, but the U.S. Government must be innovative in its thinking and systematically create incentives for U.S. industrial investment in Nigeria.

“Under my leadership, Nigeria stands ready to address their specific regulatory, tax and environmental concerns. I am determined to create prosperity for all Nigerian families,” the President declared.

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The Nigerian leader affirmed that the crisis in Niger Republic would not deter him from concluding his economic reform programme successfully for the benefit of Nigerians and that he takes a queue from no nation, but will only advance the interest of the Nigerian state in his approach toward ECOWAS’ handling of the regional standoff.

“We are deep in our attempts to peacefully settle the issue in Niger by leveraging on our diplomatic tools. I continue to hold ECOWAS back, despite its readiness for all options, in order to exhaust all other remedial mechanisms. War is not ideal for my economic reforms, nor for the region, but the defense of democracy is sacrosanct. The ECOWAS consensus is that we will not allow anyone to insincerely buy time,” the ECOWAS Chairman affirmed.