Nigerian government has sought the help of the United States of America to support Africa’s efforts to tackling growing insecurity challenges in the region.
This was conveyed in a first virtual meeting with the State Secretary of the United States, Anthony Blinken.
Nigeria’s president in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that Washington should consider relocating the headquarters of the US Africa command, AFRICOM, to the continent from Stuttgart Germany, to Africa, to support the fight against rising insecurity.
Notably, the US set up AFRICOM, to help continents in the region to tackle transnational threats.
“The security challenges in Nigeria remain of great concern to us, insecurity in the nation has been made worse by, existing complex negative pressures in the sahel, central land West Africa, as well as lake Chad region,” Buhari said.
“Africa’s most populous country is contending with a decade-long war against Islamist insurgents in the Northeast, a worsening conflict between nomadic herders and crop farmers and growing banditry. This has been compounded by a series of student abductions that have shut down hundreds of schools.
“The support of important and strategic partners like the US cannot be overstated as the consequences of insecurity will affect all nations, hence the imperative for concerted cooperation and collaboration of all to overcome this challenge,” he said.
Ijeoma Njoku reporting, Obinwannem News
