President Bola Tinubu emphasized that war with Niger Republic contradicts his Nigerian economic reforms.
Tinubu spoke during a meeting with US envoy Molly Phee, expressing his stance against military intervention.
The crisis in Niger began with a military coup, condemned by ECOWAS.
As ECOWAS Chair, he stated that while he resists military intervention, safeguarding democracy remains crucial.
“We are deep in our attempts to peacefully settle the issue in Niger by leveraging on our diplomatic tools. I continue to hold ECOWAS back, despite its readiness for all options, in order to exhaust all other remedial mechanisms,” Tinubu said.
“War is not ideal for my economic reforms, nor for the region, but the defence of democracy is sacrosanct. The ECOWAS consensus is that we will not allow anyone to insincerely buy time.
“Yes, the private sector will lead the way within an enabling environment we create for them, but the U.S. Government must be innovative in its thinking and systematically create incentives for U.S. industrial investment in Nigeria. Under my leadership, Nigeria stands ready to address its specific regulatory, tax and environmental concerns. I am determined to create prosperity for all Nigerian families.”
The US envoy invited President Tinubu to a meeting with President Joe Biden during the UN General Assembly in September to continue discussions.
“We know there is more we can do to incentivize large-scale American investment in Nigeria and we are committed to working closely with you to achieve that, as part of efforts to strengthen the Nigerian economy and the regional economy,” the US special envoy said.
“We appreciate your willingness to create an enabling environment for that. President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It is a mark of his high regard for your leadership.”