Twelve northern governors who are
currently in the United States of America said that they expected
Nigerians to condemn their trip.
The governors were said to have been hosted at the White House on Wednesday.
They however said that their visit to
Washington was an opportunity to re-engage with their American partners
on the most vital issues that could help them to quickly transit from
volatility to a phase of peace and development in the northern states of
the country.
The Chairman of the Northern States
Governors Forum, who is also the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim
Shettima, was quoted to have stated this in a statement made available
to our correspondent on Wednesday.
The statement was signed by Shettima’s spokesperson, Isa Gusau.
The governor said, “By the time we wake
up tomorrow, print, online and broadcast media houses in Nigeria would
have screaming headlines, that ‘12 Northern Governors storm Washington’
in the midst of economic recession, when our national currency, the
naira, has sharply depreciated against the US dollar.
“Majority of our citizens will quickly
conclude that we are here on a jamboree. Well, leadership isn’t only
about popular decisions, leadership is about doing what is right at a
time that is right.
“Our visit to Washington is an
opportunity to re-engage with our American partners on the most vital
issues that can help us to quickly make transition from volatility to a
phase of peace and development in the northern states of Nigeria.
“Over the past few years, we have
realised that the indices of development in our region have not only
been some of the most damning in our country, they have also been the
background against which the problems in our region have manifested.”
During the reception, the governors were
said to have used the occasion to hold a closed-door meeting with
President Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor, Ambassador Susan
Rice.
The governors also held a closed-door meeting with U.S Secretary of State, John Kerry at the State department in Washington.
The governors also held meeting with Gayle Smith, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development.
The meeting was said to have been held
at the Ronald Reagan building, the headquarters of the humanitarian and
development agency in Washington.
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