New York – President Goodluck Jonathan has reiterated the commitment of his administration to hold credible, free and fair elections in the country by 2015.
Jonathan gave the assurace during his bilateral meeting with President Barack Obama in the Lyndon B. Johnson suite in the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on Monday.
“I have conducted a credible elections in 2011 and I am committed to do the same in 2015.”
Jonathan reminded the U. S President that as he continued to work towards a safe world, Nigeria, he said, should not be left out.
“For you to fix the world, you must fix Africa. For you to fix Africa, you must fix Nigeria. ”
He also called for a stronger global consensus and determination to end the scourge of terrorism as quickly as possible.
President Jonathan said that unless the international community unite and deploy its enormous resources to eradicate terrorism, it would continue to be embarrassed by terrorist outrages such that occurred in Nairobi.
He expressed his appreciation of the support and assistance Nigeria had received from the U. S. in the fight against domestic terrorism.
Jonathan said that Nigeria would welcome more bilateral collaboration to fight terrorism in the country.
On his part. President Obama recalled his recent trip to Africa and since then he saw common interests in helping Nigeria improve its rural electrification, empowering young people through the Young African Leaders programme.
According to him, improving internal security is in a way consistent with human rights and making sure Nigerian elections in 2015 continue to improve the country’s democratic process.
Obama said the attack at a Nairobi mall over the weekend “underscores” the level to which all countries “are “connected and the need to work together.
“We stand with them against this terrible outrage that’s occurred, we will provide them with whatever law enforcement help that is necessary.
“The United States will continue to work with the entire continent of Africa and around the world to make sure that we are dismantling these networks of destruction.”
The Jonathan was accompanied to the meeting by the Minister of State (Foreign Affairs), Prof. Viola Onwuliri, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U. S, Prof. Ade Adefuye, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, and the Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Mr John Kerry, and the National Security Adviser, Ms Susan Rice, were also in attendance. (NAN)
