President Bola Tinubu’s government has declared to the U.S. government that its priority is fighting corruption, which has become a cankerworm hindering economic development.

Mr Tinubu’s position was disclosed in a jointly signed statement issued on Monday, on the occasion of the sixth U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission held in Abuja. 

In the statement, the Nigerian  government specifically emphasised “its prioritisation of anti-corruption efforts with the commitment to continued participation in the Global Forum for Asset Recovery (GFAR) Action series.”

The Tinubu government explained that it was committed to working with the U.S. on its strides towards greater transparency with the open government partnership. The latter also pledged its support for increasing the transparency of public financial management and civil society efforts to increase government transparency.  

According to the statement, both countries discussed ways the Nigerian government could better coordinate with civil society stakeholders to resolve conflict, especially by supporting state peacebuilding agencies. They also discussed potential legislative solutions that would enable both farmers and herders to live in peace and security.  

They also affirmed their commitment to fostering accountable and effective democratic institutions, strengthening the rule of law and respect for human rights, and improving government accountability and fiscal transparency.  

For its part, the U.S. government promised its support to bolster the rule of law, help improve Nigerian conflict response, and expand community peacebuilding in the black country through early warning and early response activities.

The American government saluted Nigeria’s efforts to use information technology to enable greater citizen participation in government. 

While jointly reiterating their strong commitment to respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, both countries agreed also to promote mutual respect and peaceful coexistence between religious communities. 

“The sides emphasised the need to take active, sustained steps to respect the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and religion or belief for all and the importance of promoting mutual respect and peaceful coexistence among religious communities,” the statement noted.