U.S., UN support Nigeria on democratic restoration in Niger

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres have backed Nigeria’s efforts towards the restoration of constitutional order in the Niger Republic.

This is contained in a statement by Dele Alake, the presidential spokesman.

The presidency said that the support was expressed in separate telephone conversations with President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja.

The two leaders also commended the Nigerian President, who is the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, for spearheading the peace moves.

On Wednesday, some soldiers from the Presidential Guard moved to depose President Mohamed Bazoum.

Tinubu quickly rejected the threat to democracy and sent a strong delegation to talk with all the parties about restoring constitutional order in the country.

In her conversation with Tinubu, Harris praised Nigeria's reform initiatives, urging the country to continue in that direction.

While pledging to support democracy in Africa, including the West African sub-region, Harris said that the U.S. would assist Nigeria in the battle against terrorism.

The US Vice President also spoke on the need for Africa, including Nigeria, to embrace energy transitions.

In his response, Tinubu thanked Harris for the call and her words of encouragement on the efforts taken so far on the economy, but added that “the developments in the Niger Republic dampen spirits.”

He said ECOWAS under his watch would do all that is necessary to restore democracy in Niger while counting on the support of the US.

In Nigeria, Tinubu craved more private sector investment, urging the US to lead the way in this regard.

“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 U.S. 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, but not being able to fund gas pipelines to Europe and compete in that gas market is a handicap,” he said.

On climate change, the president said Nigeria would stay focused on alternate energy but called for the understanding of developed nations about the situation in developing countries, including Africa.

Tinubu and Harris also spoke on strengthening relations between their two countries and on their shared work on global and regional issues.

Other matters that featured in the discussions that lasted about 40 minutes were defending democracy in West Africa and The Sahel and digital inclusion.

Speaking with the UN Secretary-General, 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 the UN’s support for restoring democracy and building institutions in that country.

Guterres had earlier pledged the commitment of the UN to Tinubu’s peace efforts in Niger.