Kamala Harris, vice president of the United States, says America will support Nigeria in strengthening its economy and defending democracy in West Africa.
The US number two spoke with President Tinubu in a phone call on Thursday to discuss the strong ties between the Nigerian and American people and our shared work on global and regional issues.
Tinubu during his inaugural speech announced the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates as part of the measures to strengthen the country’s economy.
In the aftermath of the speech and the introduction of the floating FX policy, Nigerians have not remained the same as prices of petrol moved from N194 ($0.243) to N617 ($0.771). Prices of food, transport, medical bills and even school fees, to mention a few have soared in his barely two months of leadership as president and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Many families and even small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are finding it difficult to breadth and survive with headline inflation at 22.97 per cent and food inflation at 25.25 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) latest report.
Harris expressed support for the president’s decisions, saying it was a step in reforming the economy.
Harris also assured the president of the US’s support in increasing private sector investment, digital inclusion, women’s empowerment, and expanding access to clean energy.
The vice president also underscored the US government’s long-standing support for Nigeria’s democracy and good governance, including the government’s responsibility to ensure that security services act to serve the people they are mandated to protect.
She condemned the coup in Niger, adding that the US continued engagement with the unstable West African country is dependent on its commitment to democratic standards.
