United State President,\u00a0 Barack Obama has praised welcomed President
\nMuhammadu Buhari on Monday for coming\u00a0 into office with his reputation for
\nintegrity and a very clear agenda.<\/p>\n
Obama made the remarks at the ongoing meeting with Buhari at the White
\nHouse on Monday, where both leaders met to discuss how to tackle terrorism
\nand insecurity in Nigeria\u2019s north-east among other issues.<\/p>\n
Obama praised the March vote as \u201can affirmation of Nigeria\u2018s commitment to
\ndemocracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the people of the oil-rich and diverse nation \u201cunderstand that
\nonly through a peaceful political process can change take place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Obama \u2014 facing criticism for not including the continent\u2019s most populous
\ncountry and biggest economy on a Africa tour later this week that will
\ntake in Kenya and Ethiopia \u2013 turned on the charm, lavishing praise on the
\nformer military ruler.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Buhari comes into office with a reputation for integrity and a
\nvery clear agenda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that is to make sure that he is bringing safety and security and
\npeace to his country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buhari reciprocated the praise, saying US pressure helped ensure the
\nelections were \u201cfree, fair and credible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will ever be grateful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Obama said successful reforms would mean that \u201cNigeria ends up being an
\nanchor, not only of prosperity and stability\u201d but, he said, the country
\n\u201ccan also be an outstanding role model for developing countries around the
\nworld.\u201d
\nObama said he ready to discuss \u201chow we can be helpful\u201d in addressing the
\nissues that have held Nigeria back.<\/p>\n
Still, he is unlikely to endorse a dramatic ramping up of US military
\nactivity against Boko Haram \u2013 fearing it could be used by the group as a
\nrecruiting tool and entangle the United States in yet another conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
United State President,\u00a0 Barack Obama has praised welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday for coming\u00a0 into office with his reputation for integrity and a very clear agenda. Obama made the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n