The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has arrived Nigeria as part of his tour of four African countries.
The US Secretary arrived Nigeria 4.40pm local time and was received by Secretary to the the Government of the the Federation, Senator George Akume, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar and other government officials at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
The brief airport reception and exchange of pleasantries were led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen George Akume.
During Blinken’s visit, Ambassador Tuggar is expected to hold bilateral talks with a focus on deepening democracy in the West African region, strengthening trade relations, and enhancing security cooperation.
Nigeria and the United States have a long history of cooperation and Blinken’s visit is seen as an opportunity to further strengthen ties between the two countries.
Ambassador Tuggar is also expected to use the opportunity to urge the US and the wider international community to give serious consideration to multilateral reforms, particularly that of democratizing the United Nations Security Council.
Nigeria has long advocated for reforms to the Security Council, arguing that it should be more representative of the global community.
Blinken is touring four democracies on the Atlantic Coast – Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola.
Key priorities of his visit include bolstering security partnerships and enhancing health and economic development in the region.
The visit underscores the US President Joe Biden administration’s commitment to strengthening ties with African countries
