Garcia tells Nigeria to do more to protect christians, return IDPs home

…as Garcia, Assistant Secretary, concludes Abuja visit

The United States has urged Nigeria to intensify efforts to protect Christian communities from attacks and ensure the safe return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), as Frank Garcia, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, concluded a visit to Abuja.

Garcia’s visit focused on strengthening the U.S.-Nigeria strategic partnership across key areas including security cooperation, justice sector reform, digital transformation, commercial diplomacy and regional stability, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the U.S. Mission in Nigeria.

During his visit, Garcia held separate meetings with Sola Enikanolaiye, minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Olufemi Oluyede, Chief of Defence Staff; Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser.

According to the statement, Garcia welcomed Nigeria’s increased engagement under the U.S.-Nigeria Joint Working Group (JWG), established to address issues surrounding Nigeria’s designation by the United States as a Country of Particular Concern.

However, he urged the Nigerian government to do more to safeguard Christian communities against attacks and dedicate greater resources to facilitating the safe return of internally displaced persons to their communities.

The Assistant Secretary also expressed optimism ahead of the next meeting of the Joint Working Group, scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., in August, where both countries are expected to review progress on agreed areas of cooperation.

“Garcia’s discussions with the Attorney General focused on strengthening criminal accountability, the prosecution of Islamic terrorism-related offences and advancing religious freedom”, the statement noted.

The U.S. official also explored opportunities to deepen economic cooperation between both countries.

In his meeting with Bosun Tijani, Communications Minister, Garcia discussed ways to attract more U.S. investment into Nigeria and expand the participation of American private sector companies in the country’s growing digital economy.

The Assistant Secretary also met with senior executives of leading U.S. energy and technology companies operating in Nigeria to discuss the country’s business environment and potential investment opportunities.