Under the Governance ,Transparency and Integrity Working Group of the United States-Nigeria Bi-national Commission, Nigeria and the US have since yesterday begun a meeting to discuss how to further integrate civil society organizations into the electoral process before the 2015 general elections.
According to The Punch, a statement from the US embassy in Abuja said the delegation will be led by the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas Greenfield, “The Governance, Transparency and Integrity Working Group will look toward the continued integration of civil society groups into the electoral process prior to the 2015 national elections which will mark another milestone building upon Nigeria’s last elections”.
“One aim of the BNC is to support the establishment of benchmarks for transparent and inclusive elections”.
The statement continued, “Through the BNC, we aim to jointly improve Nigeria’s capacity to fight corruption. Participation in the commission meeting reflects the commitment of the US and Nigeria to their strong bilateral relationship. The US supports the aspirations of the Nigerian people for a peaceful prosperous, stable and democratic future”.
The US-Nigeria bi-national Commission was inaugurated on April 6, 2010 in Washington, DC by former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed. The commission allows for dialogue and strategic thinking designed to expand mutual cooperation across a broad range of shared interests.
By: Remi Serrano
