Nigeria’s 2019 polls remain our priority, US declares
* Envoy: Peaceful transitions inevitable due to Nigeria’s strategic position
- Says she’ll attain third most populous country in the world by 2025
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The United States Secretary of State, Mr Rex Tillerson, has stated that Nigeria’s 2019 general elections and a peaceful transition remain the US major priority in view of the country’s strategic position in Africa.
Tillerson said this during a background briefing on his first trip to Africa.
During the trip, Tillerson would meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and other top government functionaries, and also leaders of Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya as from March 6 to 13.
He said that over two dozen African countries with democratically elected governments, hopefully are not going to have transitions in government through coup d’etats and other illegal methods.
He said: “As we look at the 20 elections, obviously Nigeria, though it’s not this year – it’s going to be next year – that really is a major priority focus, because that’s going to be the third most populous country in the world by 2050.
“It has really very complex political issues and ethnic and tribal issues and security issues. And that’s an area that we really are focusing on how to do a peaceful transition, a democratic transition, but more important is how to hold governments accountable to the people”.
The US Secretary of State also explained that obviously, a lot of those African countries are still fragile democracies and the US is trying to strengthen them.
Tillerson also commended the most recent elections in Liberia, saying it was the first open, fair, and peaceful transition of governments in over 75 years, saying that is a good thing.
He regretted what he called the “horrendous rule of Charles Taylor and the degradation of the institutions there, but now, we’ll be going back and they’re building, and I think with the election of George Weah that’s going to be a positive thing”.
The US envoy also noted the election of Nana Akufo-Addo in Ghana, Alassane Ouattara in Cote d’Ivoire and Macky Sall in Senegal, describing them as positive developments.
He, however, said that Ethiopia remained a challenge for the US and a focus for it as well and an opportunity.
He explained that the US was looking at trying to build institutions, strengthen institutions, and also have peaceful transitions and hold governments accountable to the people in Ethiopia.
He said the US was also looking at how it could have reconciliation and dialogues between all the different groups – the Oromos, the Amharas, the Tigrays, and also in Kenya with the opposition and with the ruling government.
Tillerson added that the US believe that building strong institutions and holding governments accountable are some of the things that are certainly going to be the subjects of discussion during Tillerson trip.
He said, “How do we advance political and economic reforms that will help in the transition process? Those are issues too that we’re working in Zimbabwe with the transition between Robert Mugabe and Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“And also we’re looking hopefully at South Africa with the election of Cyril Ramaphosa from Jacob Zuma and seeing how that’s going to transition. "
