The United States Consul General in Nigeria, Jeffery
Hawkins, has identified corruption as a key element hindering the country
from attaining its full potential.
He also said the United States government was
concerned about the activities of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, and reports of
right abuses in Nigeria
Hawkins, who described the people of Nigeria as
those with “phenomenal potential,” said stemming corruption was fundamental to
the country’s prosperity and economic development.
Hawkins spoke during a courtesy visit to
the PUNCH Place, the corporate headquarters of PUNCH Nigeria Ltd
in Magboro, on Wednesday.
Hawkins said, “The potential of the people of
Nigeria is absolutely phenomenal; Nigerians are forward looking with a whole
lot of entrepreneurial expertise, but this potential is not being harnessed
because of the potential risk element of corruption in the polity, especially
in the power sector.
“Corruption is a Nigerian problem and it does not
only have its impact on Nigerians because there are also American
companies here. Besides, we have over $5bn investment in Nigeria. Without
addressing this issue of corruption, we are not likely to see this country get
to where it should be.
“The US government will continue to support
Nigerian efforts on transparency issues and engage civil society groups,
anti-graft agencies and other stakeholders in stemming the tide of
corruption in the country.”
Hawkins added that Washington was
“seriously concerned” about the activities of Boko Haram in the North and
reports of rights abuses on the part of government forces in combating the
group’s terror activities.
He said, “No country is more concerned than the
US as regards the activities of Boko Haram that have attacked both Muslims and
Christians in Northern Nigeria. We have come to the understanding that
the Boko Haram is not a monolithic oraganisation as members operate on
different strengths.
“We are of the view that labelling some of their
leaders as terrorists was a major step in the right direction. The US will
continue to share information and intelligence with Nigerian security agencies
in this regard.”
Hawkins added that Nigerians seeking visas
to the US would now enjoy first class consular services as more consular
officials had been redeployed from various countries to Nigeria
“There has always been issues with visa
applications and it has long been a perennial problem as hundreds of people
visit us everyday. The US State Department has redeployed some officials from
countries like Brazil, China and others to Nigeria so that we can provide the Nigerian
people with outstanding services,” he said.
Punch
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