Must Read: Nigeria’s 2019 general election attracts U.S. attention - Risingsuntv

As Nigeria prepares for the 2019 general election, the
United States (U.S.) says it’s major priority now is to see
a peaceful transition, as the country occupies a strategic
position in Africa.

Trump-Tillerson

The U.S. Department of State said this during a
background briefing on the first trip of Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson to Africa, monitored by the News Agency of
Nigeria in New York.






Tillerson would meet with Nigeria’s President
Muhammadu Buhari and other top government
functionaries, and also leaders of Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia
and Kenya during his travels from Tuesday, March 6 to
13.

The department said over two decades ago, the number
of countries in Africa with really democratically elected
government were really very few – only three or four.






It said, however, now we had over two dozen African
countries with democratically elected governments and
which are hopefully not going to have transitions in
government through coup d’etats and other illegal
methods.






“As we look at the 20 elections, obviously Nigeria, though
it’s not this year – it’s going to be next year – that really
is a major priority focus, because that’s going to be the
third most populous country in the world by 2050.






“It has really very complex political issues and ethnic and
tribal issues and security issues,
“And that’s an area that we really are focusing on how to
do a peaceful transition, a democratic transition, but
more important is how to hold governments accountable
to the people,” the state department said.






The department explained that obviously, a lot of those
African countries were still fragile democracies and the
U.S. was trying to strengthen them.
The U.S. commended the most recent elections in Liberia,
saying it was the first open, fair, and peaceful transition
of governments in over 75 years, saying that it is a good
thing.






It regretted what it called the “horrendous rule of Charles
Taylor and the degradation of the institutions there, but
now we’ll going back and they’re building, and I think with
the election of George Weah, there is going to be a
positive thing”.

The U.S. also noted the election of Nana Akufo-Addo in
Ghana, Alassane Ouattara in Cote d’Ivoire and Macky Sall
in Senegal, describing them as positive developments.

It said, however, that Ethiopia remained a challenge for
the U.S. and a focus for it as well and an opportunity.

The U.S. explained that it was looking at trying to build
institutions and strengthen them, and also have peaceful
transitions and hold governments accountable to the
people in Ethiopia.

It said it was also looking at how it could have
reconciliation and dialogues between all of the different
groups – the Oromos, the Amharas, the Tigrays, and also
in Kenya with the opposition and with the ruling
government.






Accordingly, the department said building strong
institutions and holding governments accountable are
some of the things that are certainly going to be the
subjects of discussion during Tillerson trip.

“How do we advance political and economic reform that
will help in the transition process? Those are issues too
that we’re working in Zimbabwe with the transition
between Robert Mugabe and Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“And also we’re looking hopefully at South Africa with the
election of Cyril Ramaphosa from Jacob Zuma and seeing
how that is going to transform the country,” the state
department said.