Boko Haram, graft top agenda as Clinton visits Nigeria

GROWING insecurity, especially terrorism, and corruption, which have emerged as the main obstacles to Nigeria’s development will be on the front burner when President Goodluck Jonathan receives American Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, next Thursday, August 9 in Abuja.

Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Prof. Ade Adefuye, who has arrived home in preparation for the visit, explained that Clinton’s visit to Africa, which started last week had a stop in the country as a priority, dismissing speculations that she had sidelined Nigeria all together.

“I can confirm that Mrs. Clinton would be meeting President Jonathan and other top Federal Government officials in Abuja on Thursday,” Adefuye stated.

He stressed that it was the long-given commitment of Jonathan to honour an invitation from Jamaica that prevented a Clinton stop in Nigeria and meeting with the President on August 2.

According to Adefuye, Washington had wanted a meeting with the President and other top officials for last Thursday, but the Jamaican government had long wanted Dr. Jonathan at its National Day. He said considering the Federal Government’s commitment to Africans in Diaspora, that date, which was earlier secured before the Clinton trip, had to be honoured by the President.

He added that based on the effective working relationship between the U.S. government and the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC, the new date for Clinton’s one-day visit has now been mutually agreed to.