The details of the phone conversation between US Vice President Kamala Harris, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu have emerged.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the discussions took place in individual phone calls on Thursday.
This publication learnt that the US Vice President, UN Secretary-General, and the Nigerian President expressed strong support for Nigeria’s efforts to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.
The calls came after a coup attempt in Niger on Wednesday, in which soldiers from the Presidential Guard tried to depose President Mohamed Bazoum.
Tinubu, who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS, quickly condemned the coup attempt and sent a delegation to Niger to talk with all parties involved.
In her call with Tinubu, Harris praised the reform initiatives of the Federal Government and pledged US support for democracy in Africa. She also said the US would assist Nigeria in the battle against terrorism.
Tinubu thanked Harris for her support and said ECOWAS would do all that is necessary to restore democracy in Niger.
He also urged the US to lead the way in private sector investment in Nigeria.
“We had to get rid of the fuel subsidy that is laden with fraud with a few people appropriating the wealth of the country to themselves.
“We would need the US to help push for investments that will help alleviate the effects of subsidy removal in Nigeria. We need foreign direct investment to come in.
“We have abundant gas resources in the country and not been able to fund gas pipelines to Europe and compete in that gas market is a handicap,” he said.
The call with the US vice president lasted for about 40 minutes.
Guterres, for his part, pledged the commitment of the UN to Tinubu’s peace efforts in Niger. He said the UN would provide support for restoring democracy and building institutions in that country.
In response, President Tinubu said he was doing everything possible to resolve the impasse in Niger.
While expressing the hope that the situation in Niger could still be reversed for the better, he said ECOWAS would require UN’s support for restoring democracy and building institutions in that country.
