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President Bola Tinubu conveyed advice to Molly Phee, the U.S. presidential envoy and assistant secretary of state for African affairs, urging her to ensure that U.S. policies are deliberately cooperative in order to strengthen democracy in Africa, particularly at a time when these democracies are facing challenges from anti-democratic forces within and outside the continent.

The President shared this perspective during his meeting with Phee at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday. Tinubu highlighted the importance of swift and comprehensive reform within American-backed development finance and multilateral institutions, originally devised to aid war-torn Europe after World War II. He emphasized the necessity of adapting these mechanisms to meet the developmental needs of younger African democracies operating in environments crowded by authoritarian influences.

He emphasized that such efforts would help prevent the manipulation of legitimate aspirations of Africans to serve the self-serving agendas of demagogues through unconstitutional power takeovers.

“The private sector will undoubtedly lead within an environment we facilitate for them, yet the U.S. Government needs innovative thinking to systematically create incentives for U.S. industrial investments in Nigeria. I am committed to addressing their specific regulatory, tax, and environmental concerns under my leadership. My aim is to generate prosperity for all Nigerian families,” stated the President.

Tinubu affirmed that the ongoing crisis in Niger Republic would not hinder the successful conclusion of his economic reform program for the betterment of Nigerians. He emphasized his dedication to advancing the interests of the Nigerian state and his distinct approach to the ECOWAS response to the regional conflict.

“We are actively using diplomatic tools to peacefully address the situation in Niger. Despite ECOWAS’ readiness for various options, I am holding back to explore all possible remedial measures. War is not aligned with my economic reforms or the region’s stability, but the defense of democracy is paramount. The ECOWAS consensus is that we will not allow insincere delays,” asserted the ECOWAS Chairman.

Endorsing ECOWAS’ stance, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy pledged support for President Tinubu’s leadership and expressed high respect for his role as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government. An exclusive invitation from U.S. President Joe Biden to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City was extended to President Tinubu to further advance discussions in late September.

Acknowledging the Nigerian leader’s commitment to fostering an enabling environment for democracy, the American envoy remarked, “President Joe Biden has expressed interest in meeting with you during UNGA, and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. This demonstrates his deep regard for your leadership.”

President Tinubu concluded by accepting the invitation to meet President Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He noted that the task of refining democracy is perpetual, even in established democracies like the recent occurrences in the United States and other emerging democratic nations worldwide.