Buhari and the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, met on the margins of the COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco

Buhari and the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, met on the margins of the COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco

The Nigerian leader updated Mr Kerry on his government’s ongoing efforts to combat corruption, defeat Boko Haram among others

Kerry commended Buhari’s achievements and pledged to continue supporting Nigeria even after the termination of the government of Obama

President Buhari with Secretary Kerry

President Muhammadu Buhari has met with the United States (US) Secretary of State, John Kerry, on the sidelines of the COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco on November 16, Wednesday.

The two politicians discussed different problems confronting Nigeria such as ongoing war against corruption, Boko Haram, Niger Delta militants, and how these could be tackled.

Buhari has said that the anti-corruption war is tough and grueling, with corruption fighting strongly back, but gave the assurance that the battle would be won.

He added that the corrupt people had accumulated a tough arsenal of illicit wealth, which they were now deploying against the government on diverse fronts.

“But it is a war we are determined to win, and which we will win,” the president stated.

“People of goodwill are behind us, countries like America and many others are with us, and we will surely win.”

The Nigerian leader also updated Mr Kerry on the war against terrorism in the north-east of Nigeria, efforts being made to tackle humanitarian problems caused by the insurgency, informing that a presidential committee had been launched “under Gen T.Y Danjuma, a man of high integrity.”

Speaking on the unrest in the Niger Delta area, which manifests in the sabotage of critical oil and power installations, President Buhari stated the engagement process was proceeding quickly, continuing that it was rather difficult bringing the main protagonists of the insurgency under one umbrella.

The president added that Nigeria was happy with American support on different fronts, giving the assurance that the economic challenges facing the country were being “frontally tackled, and we will overcome them soon.”

On his own part, Secretary Kerry pledged continued US support as Nigeria tackles these challenges and thanked President Buhari for being a strong partner in international efforts to counter violent extremism.

He also expressed delight at the many successes of the Buhari administration.

As the Barrack Obama government exits in January, the US state secretary said he would love to continue engaging with Nigeria, even in a private capacity.

Kerry defined President Buhari as a strong international partner in the battle against violent extremism.

President Buhari has arrived Marrakech, Morocco, to participate in the ongoing 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on November 14, Monday.

Buhari participated in the plenary of the conference and presented the presidential address.

The Nigerian leader has travelled very often as he stressed the importance of the international ties. Since inauguration, he has embarked on 35 .

Source: Naij