President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja expressed appreciation for the important role the United States Government played in the success of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, said Buhari spoke while receiving the outgoing Ambassador of the U.S, Mr James Entwistle, at the State House.
Buhari said the U.S insistence on free, fair and violence-free elections largely contributed to the deepening of democracy in the country.
“The U.S. support before, during and after the 2015 elections was vital to Nigeria’s stability and I will never forget the role they played in the stability of Nigeria.
“We were lucky to have had an INEC Chairman who was competent and courageous.
“Mr Ambassador, you occupied a position at a very strategic time in Nigeria’s history and I hope our historians will record this because it meant so much for our stability.
“I hope you write a book on your experience in Nigeria. The commitment of U.S in supporting Nigeria has been unprecedented, ” Buhari told the outgoing U.S envoy.
Buhari also thanked the Americans for their military, intelligence and humanitarian support to Nigeria on the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency.
He said Nigeria valued U.S contributions to promoting regional peace and stability through the instrumentality of the G7.
Buhari also received in audience the outgoing High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Ambassador Perry Calderwood.
The president commended the Government of Canada’s humanitarian assistance to Nigerians displaced by the insurgency in the North East, and their commitment to polio eradication in the country.
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