President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has assured the international community
that next year’s general elections in Nigeria will be conducted in
accordance with global best practices to further strengthen the country’s
democratic institutions.
At separate meetings with the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki
Moon and the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron before leaving New
York late Wednesday, President Jonathan reaffirmed his personal commitment
to making elections in Nigeria progressively better, freer and more
The President said that in keeping with his administration’s dedication to
openness and transparency in the conduct of public affairs, international
observers will be allowed to freely monitor the 2015 elections and affirm
that the elections are as free, fair and credible as his administration
has promised.
He thanked Mr. Ban Ki Moon and Mr. Cameron for their continuing support
for Nigeria’s effort to curb terrorism, insurgency and violent extremism
within its borders, saying that the Federal Government will welcome even
more assistance from Britain especially in the areas of intelligence
sharing, anti- terrorism training and defence logistics.
At a later meeting with the Director-General of the World Health
Organisation (WHO), Dr. Margaret Chan, President Jonathan expressed
Nigeria’s appreciation of the support it received from WHO for the
successful containment of the Ebola Virus Disease.
Affirming that Nigeria was now Ebola-free, President Jonathan called for
greater international support to ensure that the virus is also eradicated
in other West Africa countries that it continues to ravage.
“Nigeria is free of the virus now but we know that to be permanently free
from it, we must remain vigilant and work with WHO and the international
community to eradicate it completely from our sub-region and forestall the
possibility of its re-emergence on our shores through migration,” he told
Dr. Chan.
President Jonathan also assured her that in spite of hindrances by
insurgents, terrorists and violent extremists, the Federal Government
remained fully committed to eradicating polio from Nigeria in the shortest
possible time.
Dr. Chan and Mr. Ban Ki Moon seized the opportunity of their meeting with
President Jonathan to commend his exemplary leadership on Nigeria’s
successful effort to stop the spreading of the Ebola Virus.