US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who is on a four nation African tour paid Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu a visit where they discussed matters on West Africa’s security challenges.
In his statement, Blinken reiterated Washington’s determination to remain a “strong security partner for Nigeria” in the face of current security challenges faced by the Nation and the West African region as a whole.
This comes in the wake of growing violence by extremists in Nigeria and the continued and unresolved cases of kidnapping even at the heart of the capital city of Abuja.
There has also been security concerns about the volatility of 4 of the 15 member states of ECOWAS following the military coups in those nations.
Mr Blinken also discussed the challenges of democracy in the region while refusing to visit any of the nations under military rule.
Earlier on Tuesday, The US Secretary of state was full of praise for Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara for his plans and efforts in combating extremism in the northern region which borders the Sahel.
The US is pushing to retain its influence in Africa but faces stiff competition from China and Russia.
