THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York, New York
September 23, 2013
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA
BEFORE BILATERAL MEETING
WITH PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN
OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
1:51 P.M. EDT
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I appreciate very much
the opportunity to meet once again with President
Jonathan and his delegation. Obviously, Nigeria is
one of the most powerful and fastest-growing
countries in the world. I think that's testified by the
fact that President Jonathan is going to have the
opportunity to ring the bell at the New York Stock
Exchange. (Laughter.) I think it signifies how
important Nigeria is becoming in the global
economy.
We have a very strong relationship between the
United States and Nigeria. It’s not just based on
government-to-government relations, but also
people-to-people relations. And we have an
outstanding Nigerian-American community here in
the United States that is making incredible
contributions in every field every single day.
President Jonathan has committed to building on the
democratic process that we've seen in Nigeria in the
past. The last election that brought President
Jonathan to power was a hallmark on the continent
and in Nigeria in terms of free and fair elections. And
I know that he is committed to making sure that the
elections in 2015 move in that same fashion.
We're going to be able to have an opportunity to talk
about the issues of energy and power. Nigeria is a
major energy producer, but it’s also an important
energy consumer. And as many of you know who
were on the trip that I took to Africa just recently,
we are really focused on how we can help to bring
electricity and power generation throughout Africa --
not just in the big cities but also in the rural areas,
and Nigeria is a potential partner in that process.
We want to develop the human capital throughout
the continent and in Nigeria. And that's why I'm
excited about the Young African Leaders Initiative
that is going to allow us to have young African
leaders from across the continent, including Nigeria,
here in the United States where they can interact
with top leaders here in our universities, our
businesses, and that will further strengthen the ties
between our two countries.
And we're going to have an opportunity to discuss
some significant challenges on the security front in
Nigeria. In the northern regions of Nigeria we've
seen the emergence of one of the most vicious
terrorist organizations in the world -- the Boko
Haram. It presents an extraordinary security
challenge for the people of Nigeria, and we want to
be cooperative in that process of building capacity
inside Nigeria to deal with that terrorist threat, but
doing so in a way that is consistent with human
rights. Because we strongly believe that the best
way to undermine the agenda of those who would do
violence is to make sure that governments are
responsive to the needs of people and following rule
of law.
On that topic let me just make one last point. I've
had the opportunity to speak with President
Kenyatta directly about the terrible tragedy that's
happened in Nairobi, and we are providing all the
cooperation that we can as we deal with a situation
that has captivated the world.
I want to express personally my condolences to not
only President Kenyatta, who lost some family
members in the attack, but to the Kenyan people. We
stand with them against this terrible outrage that's
occurred. We will provide them with whatever law
enforcement support that is necessary. And we are
confident that Kenya, which has been a pillar of
stability in Eastern Africa, will rebuild.
But this I think underscores the degree to which all
of us as an international community have to stand
against the kind of senseless violence that these
kinds of groups represent. And the United States will
continue to work with the entire continent of Africa
and around the world to make sure that we are
dismantling these networks of destruction.
END 1:58 P.M. EDT
iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/texttrans/2013/09/20130923283389.html?CP.rss=true#ixzz2fmFZAiNP

Let's wait and see the outcome of the meeting.

A wise leader is treated warmly and welcomed in the best of land.....can someone tell atiku to visit the usa and see if he will not be detained by the fbi for fraud.........

This is good.

Good speech but you should have tell us the reason you did not visit nigeria when you came to africa

Gwawe will die reading this. He cant believe america has endose gej administration.

lincolnj88: A wise leader is treated warmly and welcomed in the best of land.....can someone tell atiku to visit the usa and see if he will not be detained by the fbi for fraud.........

make atiku the nigerian president and obama will say more. their interest in nigeria is just oil. if u think speeches of politicians are valid, then how much is a cup of garri in the market? how are nigerians feeling under this govt and how many nigerians have died in this administration? we lack secuirty, light, roads, education, hospitals and unemployment is crazy, ASUU has been on strike and here u are talking as if u know more than others. let the wisedom of jonathan affect nigerians positively rather than increasing the prices of everything. how many of those jonathan buses are u seeing on our roads after increasing the fuel price? how is electricity supply after increasing tariff twice and planing another? how many of our fraudulent politicians are in jail under this useless and corrupt govt. it is on record that nigeria is running the most expensive democracy in the world - why? our senators earn more than obama - why? what relevant law(s) have u seen from these senators? child marriage guess? those u call rulers are like junkies before their counterparts.
why is mandela still the man of the masses till date? go back to school pls.

ojubi: Gwawe will die reading this. He cant believe america has endose gej administration.

how did they do that.....good some presidents knw what goes on in their universities

lincolnj88: A wise leader is treated warmly and welcomed in the best of land.....can someone tell atiku to visit the usa and see if he will not be detained by the fbi for fraud.........

Atiku where G7 don dump am. U dash monkey banana

You don't want to tell a dunce he is dunce in his very before.