President Muhammadu Buhari has warned western nations on the issuance of travel advisories on Nigeria, urging the international media to be more objective in its reportage of the country.
The President disclosed this at an interactive session in Washington DC titled, “A conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria’’, co-hosted by the United State Institute of Peace (USIP), the International Republican Institute, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.
He told the international community at the event on Saturday that in spite of the non-nonchalant actions and attitudes of some of its friends and allies, Nigeria is winning the war on terrorism, making significant progress in dealing with the threats to the country and the sub-region’s safety and survival.
Buhari also advised western nations not to be hasty to eliminate the usage of fossil fuels in a bid to ensure a healthy climate.
According to a statement issued by the senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, on Saturday, Buhari also called on the United States to do more to improve the quality of governance in the West African sub-region.
The Nigerian leader also warned that the survival of democracy is being challenged in the aftermath of the democratic setbacks in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.
The President further disclosed that Nigeria’s agricultural revolution has led to the creation of over 13 million direct and indirect jobs in the last seven and half years.
Expounding on steps taken by his administration to expand the nation’s economy since 2015, the President noted that focused interventions in agriculture transitioned the country from being a net importer of rice to becoming self-sufficient in its production.
Contrary to what was obtainable when he assumed power in 2015, the President said no local government area in Nigeria is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists.
While responding to a question on the readiness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the 2023 elections, he said the electoral umpire is ready “because I made sure they were given all the resources they asked because I don’t want any excuses that they were denied funds by the government”.
