Kerry leads US team to Buhari’s inauguration

John Kerry, the United States secretary of state, will lead the US presidential delegation to the inauguration of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s president on May 29, the US mission in Nigeria has said.

“President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a presidential delegation to Nigeria to attend the inauguration of His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, president-elect of the federal republic of Nigeria, on May 29, 2015,” the mission said in a statement.

“The Honorable John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, will lead the delegation. Other members of the delegation will be announced at a future date.”

In January when Kerry paid his first visit to Nigeria, he met with President Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari in Lagos ahead of the presidential election.

The purpose of his visit at the time, according to the US mission in Nigeria was, to canvass for peaceful, fair and credible elections. On different occasions, Kerry had expressed his country’s commitment to working with Nigeria.

A statement issued by the US Department of States after the presidential election in April quoted him as saying: “The United States commends Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman, Attahiru Jega, on the generally orderly vote, on the use of technology such as card readers to increase the credibility and transparency of the electoral process, and on prompt communication of the results.

“While we note reports of logistical problems, such incidents did not undermine the overall outcome of the election.

“At that time (during his visit in January), I emphasised that for the United States, Nigeria is an increasingly important strategic partner and that Nigeria has a critical role to play in the security and prosperity of this continent and beyond.

“I also said that it was imperative that these elections are an improvement over past elections and that they need to set a new standard for this democracy. That means that Nigerians needed to not only reject violence but actually promote peace…

“We extend our congratulations to President-elect Buhari. The United States reiterates its commitment to working with the newly elected government that emerges from this democratic process.”