By Uche Amunike
The delegates to represent President Joe Biden and the United States of America (USA), at Nigerian President-elect Bola Tinubu’s inauguration today, May 29, 2023, arrived the country, Sunday, May 28, in order to attend the much announced inauguration, notwithstanding the controversies trailing it.
The arrival of the 9-man panel led by the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Marcia L. Fudge, was announced by the United States Mission in Nigeria, on Sunday, ahead of the inauguration.
He stated: ‘Welcome to Nigeria! We are excited to receive the delegation from @POTUS Biden, led by @SecFudge from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as they join us in Abuja for the inauguration of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu.’
Later today, the much awaited Bola Tinubu’s inauguration will take place and he would be sworn in as the 16th president of Nigeria at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
Not less than 65 world leaders and Heads of States are expected to be in attendance, as well as presidents, heads of international organizations, diplomats, prominent representatives of foreign governments and foreign agencies, as well as prominent Nigerians.
The members representing the United States team are Mr. David Green, who is the Chargé d’Affairs of the US Embassy in Abuja; Honorable Sydney Kamlager-Dove, United States Representative (D), California; Honorable Marisa Lago, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce; General Michael E. Langley, Commander of U.S. Africa Command; Honorable Enoh T. Ebong, Director, U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
Others are Honorable Mary Catherine Phee, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Honorable Judd Devermont, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council and Honorable Monde Muyangwa, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development.
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi has urged his supporters and Nigerian citizens in general, to remain calm and law abiding, even as the court of law is yet to decide the actual winner of the election held on February 25th , 2023.
Speaking, at an event at Kaduna state, Obi maintained that the peace, security and unity of Nigeria is more important than any other interest and therefore called on every citizen in the country to be law abiding and work towards the progress and development of Nigeria.
His words: ‘We must continue to live on the path of peace, religious harmony, ethnic harmony, coexistence, that is the most important thing for now.’
‘Let’s have a peaceful, quiet Nigeria where government will concentrate on caring for the sufferings of the people’, Peter Obi noted.
While noting that there were still unanswered questions shrouding the last election, Obi however advised Nigerian citizens to continue to live in peace and be able to work on facing the issues of the country which include poverty, unemployment, education, insecurity and other important areas of the nation’s existence.
Also with him at the event was his running mate, Senator Datti-Baba Ahmed, who also called on incoming administrations at all levels to tackle the problems of high youth unemployment, poverty and insecurity in the Northern part of Nigeria, because such critical areas needed to be addressed by elected leaders in order for the country to achieve progress and development.
