| The United States (U.S.) and Nigeria are collaborating to safeguard the Gulf of Guinea region, especially the capacity building of Nigerian Navy to address the many threats emanating in the Gulf, the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Terence McCulley, said on Sunday in Abuja.
“We are working to provide technical assistance to help them address the threats in the Gulf, the security of that area is obviously critical to the economic lifeblood of Nigeria,” he said. The Gulf of Guinea is part of the Atlantic in West Africa, regarded as one of the world’s top oil and gas exploration hotspots. McCulley said that Nigeria was a good partner of the U.S. in the fight against terrorism, adding that “we have a very cooperative military-to-military engagement’’. According to him, Nigeria is a member of a multinational trans-Saharan counter terrorism partnership initiative which looks at building capacity and addressing common threats affecting all nations in the region. In April, the U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Nigeria’s Secretary to the Government of the Federation Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, inaugurated the US-Nigeria Bi-National Commission which is aimed at expanding mutual cooperation across a broad range of shared interests. The commission’s four working groups comprise Good Governance, Transparency, and Integrity ; Energy and Investment, Food Security and Agriculture, and Niger Delta and Regional Security Cooperation. McCulley noted that the Commission would provide a forum for constructive dialogue to address issues. |
Dec132010