The Bi-National Commission between the Nigerian and United States government has been described as a model of international cooperation worthy of emulation by other governments around the world.
This was according to the Nigerian ambassador to the United States, Professor Ade Adefuye, who spoke in Abuja on Monday.
Adefuye, speaking with journalists in Abuja against the backdrop of U.S Secretary of State, Mrs. Hilary Clinton’s scheduled visit to Nigeria on August 9, said that Canada, Germany and other countries were using the model to partner with Nigeria on developmental programs.
He said the BNC, established in 2010, had been “’very successful and it has been a model.
“It is working well that Canada has conducted its agreement with us based on the U.S. model and the Germans are doing a similar one with us now,” he stated.
The BNC covers four working areas, including Good Governance, Transparency and Integrity Working Group and the Niger Delta and Regional Security Cooperation Working Group.
Others are the Energy and Investment Working Group and the Food Security and Agriculture Working Group.
According to him, bilateral relations between both countries remain strong, contrary to rumours that it is on the decline.
Adefuye noted that the four working groups of the BNC had achieved remarkable success since the inception of the commission.
He said the U.S. Vice President, Mr. Joe Biden, had once described Nigeria as America’s anchor in Africa, owing to the cordial relations existing between both countries.
The envoy said that America placed much emphasis on Nigeria and saw Nigeria as a strategic ally and that “is why the U.S. is committed to ensuring that there is political stability in the wake of security challenges in Nigeria.”
Commenting on Clinton’s visit to Nigeria, Adefuye said the discussion during the trip would be centred on Nigeria-U. S. bilateral relations, based on the BNC partnership.
- Courtesy: News Agency of Nigeria