After the inauguration of the new United States President, Joe Biden, there has been alot of expectations of a good relationship between Nigeria and Biden. However, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, and some other prominent persons have said cases of human rights abuse in Nigeria can hamper the partnership if not addressed.
According to Punch, Campbell alongside an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, London, Matthew Page and the Director, Africa Programme, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a leading US think tank, Mr Judd Devermont, revealed that while the relationship between the two countries might improve in many respects, abuse by the military and policy abuse by the government could pose a problem.
He added, “Any new administration does indeed provide an opportunity for strengthening the US-Nigeria bilateral relationship. It should be borne in mind, however, that the Biden administration will place much greater emphasis on human rights issues than its predecessor.
“Nigeria’s detention of persons without charge, security service abuses of the civilian population and official restrictions on political activities could inhibit the development of a closer relationship. In my view, that would be a shame, as there are so many areas where close bilateral cooperation and consultation could be productive.
“Closer security cooperation would require addressing human rights violations by the security services and outlining a political process that would seek to ameliorate the social and economic conditions that fuel radical insurgencies.”
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