President Goodluck Jonathan met on Thursday in Abuja with the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle to discuss modalities for the actualization of the offer made by President Barrack Obama to assist Nigeria in rescuing the girls abducted from Chibok, Borno State.
The meeting on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum on Africa was a follow-up to talks held yesterday between Mr. Entwistle and Nigerian security officials on the United States offer of assistance.
At the talks with the Ambassador, President Jonathan reiterated Nigeria’s appreciation of the United States offer to deploy U.S. security personnel and assets to work with their Nigerian counterparts in the search and rescue operation, which was conveyed to him on Tuesday by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry.
The President told Mr. Entwistle and other delegations which met separately with him at the venue of the World Economic Forum that the much greater support which Nigeria was receiving from the United States and other members of the international community in the aftermath of the Chibok abductions, will certainly help the country to rapidly overcome the Boko Haram insurgency.
Others received by President Jonathan include the President of Ghana, Mr. John Mahama and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo who brought him a message of solidarity from ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
President Mahama informed President Jonathan that to support Nigeria’s efforts to rescue the abducted girls and defeat terrorism, ECOWAS leaders have decided to invoke the community’s protocols on counter-terrorism.
The Ghanaian leader said that a meeting of Heads of Intelligence Services of ECOWAS member-countries will hold in Accra next week to work out a new framework for intelligence sharing in support of the effort to eradicate the threat of terrorism in Nigeria and the entire West African Sub-Region.
President Jonathan also had private meetings with Prof. Klaus Schwab, the Founder of the World Economic Forum who said that Nigeria deserved the maximum solidarity of the world at this trying moment.
He later met with President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, former President Lula Da Silva of Brazil and the Prime Minister of Mali, Mr. Moussa Mara all of who conveyed the solidarity of their governments and people.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon also spoke with President on the phone today to convey the sympathy and solidarity of the global community with the government and people of Nigeria.
Mr. Ban Ki Moon assured President Jonathan that the United Nations was ready to help Nigeria in every possible way to rescue the abducted girls and achieve greater security of lives and property in all parts of the country.
