The United States of America (USA) has described as ridiculous, speculations that Nigeria would break up this year and that the country in the past predicted the break-up.
Speaking this morning during an interview on Channels Television, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, said: “I can’t find any prediction by anyone in the US government that Nigeria will break up in 2015. It is a ridiculous assertion. Here we are sitting in Nigeria in 2015; do any of you see any signs of this country breaking up? I don’t. I see Nigeria in a challenging time, nonetheless gradually moving forward to a very bright future and the United States looks forward to working with you towards that bright future. When I spend time with young Nigerians, I can’t help but have a strong optimism about this country.
“Take this breakup in 2015 idea and throw it out through the window.”
Ambassador Entwistle also dismissed as untrue reports that his country has placed an arms-deal embargo on Nigeria, insisting that no country is doing more to support Nigeria in its fight against terror that the American Government.
According to the US Ambassador, “Ideas that there are arms embargo and that the US has cut Nigeria off is nonsense.
“No country is doing more to support Nigeria in its fight against terror right now. We can’t talk about the details in public but I can assure you that we are with you every step of the way.
“We have a number of discussions right now for various pieces of equipment in the air, on the ground and army personnel carriers. We share information everyday with your army that they can use operationally. The notion that we have cut you off is nonsense.
“When we transfer or consider transferring arms to any country, by US law, there is a process that we have to go through. We look at; does this make sense for the country and other human rights considerations. Sometimes the answer is no much more often the answer is yes.”
On the Cobra Helicopter, Entwistle did not give details of why the US refused to grant Nigeria’s request for the helicopter, but the US government had earlier said that issues of human rights abuse were some of its considerations.
“We have a number of other things in the pipeline. So that water under the bridge is focused on the present and the future and the cooperation is excellent,” the US Ambassador said. (Source: News Express)