US Secretary Of State, Antony Blinken arrives Nigeria, meets Tinubu

The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on Tuesday, arrived in Nigeria, and is expected to meet with President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

NationalDailyng.com gathered his plane touched down at about 4.40 pm local time, 35 minutes beyond the expected time of arrival at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Blinken was received by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar.

Due to his arrival being later than initially planned, his convoy went straight to the Villa to meet up with the 6 pm appointment with President Bola Tinubu.

Blinken is expected, during his visit, to hold bilateral talks with a focus on deepening democracy in the West African subregion, strengthening of trade relations and security cooperation.

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A statement on Tuesday by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, said the minister shall also use the opportunity to urge the US and the wider international community to give serious consideration to multilateral reforms, particularly that of democratizing the United Nations Security Council.

Blinken will depart Abuja at about 10 pm for Lagos, where he will meet with business owners and other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) before departing for Angola tomorrow night.

The US State Department had earlier disclosed that Blinken’s African tour would include stops in Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Angola, focusing on discussions related to regional security, conflict prevention, democracy promotion, and trade.

The visit aims to underscore the Biden administration’s commitment to partnership with Africa, addressing issues like climate, economic investment, and food and health.