 Secretary of State for the United States of America, Anthony Blinken, two weeks ago visited Nigeria. From his visit, the United States of America and Nigeria signed a $2.17 billion development objective agreement, which will play a role in supporting a healthier and more educated Nigeria. According to him, the agreement will also promote and expand energy access, economic growth and revitalized democracy. He stated, home to Africa's largest population, democracy and economy, Nigeria is one of our most important partners on the continent. Well, joining us to discuss this is U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Lagos Steven Ibelli. Thank you very much for joining us, Steven. It's great to be here. It's good to have you join us. You were here just a couple of weeks ago. It's great to be back, Maria. Great. So it's very interesting when we hear about the U.S. and Nigeria having relations, and these relations span through trade, education. 61 years of great relations. Wow. Great. As old as our democracy, rather our independence. Correct. It's that old. But yet, we know that Secretary Blinken visited Nigeria two weeks ago. How, in your opinion, will this visit help strengthen and improve the relationship between Nigeria and the U.S.? That's a great question, Marianne. As you really said in your intro, Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, the biggest economy as well, and really, it's the largest democracy on the continent. And so this heft, this gravitas really makes Nigeria our most important partner on the continent, and not only on the continent, but indeed on the world stage. And so Secretary Blinken visited on the 18th and 19th. This was actually following a virtual visit that happened in April. So very, very early on in the Biden administration, there was a virtual visit to Nigeria, because there is this realization, of course, that Nigeria is a partner, not only in regional politics, but indeed in international politics. So it was a very busy visit. He met with the president, the vice president, and the foreign minister. As you alluded to, there was a signing of this wonderful agreement, this $2.7 billion assistance agreement. He met with civil society actors. He also met with techpreneurs. Oh, that's very good. As well. And so it was really a great way to talk about the importance of Nigeria. And there really is nothing more important than a face-to-face visit. And I know that the secretary was very keen on doing that following the virtual visit in April. And can you give us more insight into this $2.17 billion development objective assistance agreement by the U.S. and Nigeria? What exactly will these monies be put to? Because you mentioned that they met with tech entrepreneurs. They met with civil society. And is the U.S. going to monitor how these monies are being put to use? Absolutely. It's through our U.S. Agency for International Development, or U.S. Aid, as they say. A lot of it is going into sort of primary health care, so helping children really get the best medical care that they can. So there's a lot of investment in that. There's a lot of investment in education as well. The children are the future, right? I mean, they are the next generation. They're the next leaders of this country. And so we're really investing in that with our Nigerian partners. We never do this alone. We always do this with local partners, with local partnerships, with people that are very committed, with Nigerians that are very, very committed to this. And so this really, I think, will help sort of strengthen the resiliency, strengthen also the health of the Nigerian population. And that is just really one rubric of a really deep relationship between our two countries. Let's talk about Blinken's visit. One of the high points was his engagement with some of Nigeria's leading civil society, just as you said. What was the key takeaway for the Secretary from these meetings? Of course, because this is also to help him understand what's happening within the country, and of course how the consulate can help better their relationship with the country. So what was his biggest takeaway when he left and had meetings with you? What did he take home with him? Well, I think he heard and saw the vibrancy of civil society in Nigeria. We as U.S. government are big believers in the power of civil society as a check on the government, as a mechanism for accountability and transparency. And whether that's for press freedom or whether that's for institutions, building institutions, because that is really the key to any success in any democracy is free, open and transparent institutions. And I think he heard that loud and clear from the civil society actors that were present. We really believe that that is a rubric for a very healthy democracy is a strong, vibrant civil society. I just want to chip in that. One of the key things that I also noticed when I visited the U.S. was that civil society had so much power in putting the government on their toes and making sure that things happened. And that I put that side by side with what happens at home. And well, not necessarily scratching the surface. Is there a plan of sorts to engage more with civil society so they understand the power that they wield? And of course, because we are in a growing democracy of sorts. And knowing that these people can also help our democracy grow. Is the U.S. going to do something about that? Absolutely. We engage civil society leaders on a daily basis. Whether that's with police reform or whether that's with press freedom. The ambassador actually today who's in Lagos visited the Nigerian Guild of Editors that have a grant from the United States to really talk about these rubrics of freedom and how we put those together to really go forward to building the strong institutions, because that is the strength of a country. It's institutions. The institutions are able to be able to move with changes in the society. It doesn't depend on an individual. It doesn't depend on one particular event. This is where we really are investing in these institutions. And indeed, civil society is its own institution as well. Now, what does the U.S. government think of Nigeria's engagement and leadership on the continent? I'm wondering, has it improved? Has it deteriorated? Are we going around in circles? This is why I'm asking. When I was a little girl, Nigeria was referred to as the big brother on the continent. It was also the giant of Africa. But then we've gone through the motions and I'm thinking, what does the U.S. see about Nigeria's leadership right now? No, it's a great question, Marianne. We see Nigeria not only as really a regional power, but also a world power. If you look at many prominent Nigerians, they are heading many of the institutions. The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations is Nigerian. The head of the WTO, Nigerian. There are Nigerians everywhere. The President of the African Development Bank, for example, Afrexim Bank, Afrika Exim Bank. And so you see Nigerians really interspersed through all of these world organizations and all of these institutions. Not only that, but also in the United States. There are 500,000 Nigerians living in the United States. That is the biggest diaspora in the world. And many of them have leadership positions, not only in the Biden Cabinet, but also in many of the institutions. The Deputy Treasury Secretary is Nigerian. The Surgeon General in the state of Florida actually is Nigerian. And so we see Nigerians really taking that leadership role. And that's just on the political sphere. Look at the cultural sphere. I mean, Nigeria is an exporter of culture. And you see many people cheering for Nigerian athletes that play in the NBA. You hear people listening to Nigerian music. Oh, I just, I saw the former CSIS boss saying he was dancing to some Afro music. Exactly. And it was really interesting. Burnaboy, WizKid, right? I mean, he was Savage Davido, and the list goes on and on. And so also, you know, Americans also read Nigerian authors now as well. So you really see that kind of nexus between Nigeria's sort of cultural influence, their political influence, their economic influence as well. And this is why the Secretary was here, to engage Nigeria, to really reaffirm that relationship, and to really build and go forward on that relationship as well. So what are the key areas of corporation and people-to-people ties, you know, that underscore the burgeoning of U.S.-Nigeria relationship? Because that is, you know, of key interest to many people, even those who are watching right now. Absolutely. People-to-people ties are really the strength of any relationship with any country. If you look at the health sector, I think that's sort of an underappreciated piece of the assistance that the United States brings to Nigeria. Eighty percent of all AIDS patients, for example, receive life-saving treatment because of grants from the United States. Eighty percent. Eighty percent. Eight out of ten Nigerians are receiving drugs for that. We've eliminated wild polio, for example. We've donated millions of mosquito nets for beds, for example. We do a lot in the malaria space as well. So there is a huge health component. We also support a lot of internally displaced persons in the north as well, over 20 million. And that's just the health sector. There's the security sector. There's the cultural sector. So the relationship is in the economic sector, and the relationship is really, really broad. We work very hard at trying to improve the business environment for American companies, and then also Nigerian companies wanting to export to the United States, for example. There are structures in place that help Nigerian companies to export to the United States. And how seamless is that? There are obviously some regulatory environments and regulatory regulations and procedures, but the fact is that there is a preferential treatment for Africa through the Ogoa framework. And so a lot of people do take advantage of that. Not only that, but we also do a lot in the entrepreneurial space. Our ambassador actually is traveling to an event where we are training over 250 women in entrepreneurial skills. We call it the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs. And I was looking at pictures actually today that the colleagues sent, and all of the women had made displays of all of the wares that they've done. And they work in all fashion, in spices, in even one has a security company. And so because the Nigerian economy is based on these small and medium enterprises, 80 percent of the economy is really based on that. And that's a real shared value between our countries, this entrepreneurial spirit. And so we're really looking forward to that event that the ambassador attends tomorrow. Okay. And talking about the events, during the visit of the Secretary of State to Nigeria, he was, he invited Mr. President to a summit for democracy that he's going to be hosting next month. So what more can you tell us about that? And then I'll just make this a two-prong question. You can decide not to answer the next one. But the United States, I always say, is a poster child for democracy across, you know, around the world. Everybody, you know, talks about the democracy that, you know, America is pushing. How well do you think Nigeria has coped with this system of government? Because it's seemingly a bit new to us being that our democracy is still about 21 years old. And America has had 200 years plus. Do you think that we're fast learners? Oh, absolutely. Democracy is like a garden. You know, you have to tend to it. You have to de-weed it. You have to really take care of it for it to flourish. And I think you've, you know, also seen the United States, we also struggle with those issues as well. And that is why I think the Biden administration is really convening this summit to really renew our commitment to democracy. Democracy has a really unique factor in which we look at ourselves transparently. And we say, okay, look, these are our challenges, but these are also our opportunities. And so I think it's a real great opportunity for us to hear from other countries what those challenges are and also what those opportunities are. That will be in December 9 through 10, where many countries will be visiting the United States to really, really talk about that. And I think it's really, really important because there'll also be members of civil society there. There will also be members of the private sector there. There will also be government officials, of course. And so I think it's a continuous dialogue, and it's also a continuous process. Democracy is a process. You have to work on it. And indeed, our constitution says we are striving towards a more perfect union. And that that is really what we really try to do in the United States, even despite our challenges. We have to look at what what those challenges are and then try to decide and try to figure out how we go forward as well. I mean, I've studied the American electoral system. It's the most confusing, especially with that. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. But but but the only thing, the most important thing that works is that, you know, they follow the law to the later, no matter what happens, you know, the law takes its course. But I'm still trying to learn about the electoral college. I'm still trying. And I'm hoping that maybe we could learn a thing or two from how you conduct your election. I also noticed that there are certain parts of the country that voting is not necessarily a thing. But there are also places where it is a thing. And maybe there's a lot for us to learn. Well, I mean, there's a lot for everyone to learn. I mean, I think COVID really taught us that, you know, the last American election had the most Americans voting in the history of elections in the United States. And that was because because of COVID in some ways that it was a lot easier to vote. You could mail in your vote, early voting, Sunday voting. And so but the key and really the key to any democracy is open, transparent elections. And even though there were issues after the elections, as we know in the United States, what is really amazing is that there were Republicans counting votes, there were Democrats counting votes, but they weren't Republicans or Democrats, they were Americans counting the votes. And they worked tirelessly and they worked just just to make sure that they were open, that they were transparent. And indeed when when the votes were being counted, press could visit, journalists could visit. There were also observers from the different political parties. So there was no secrecy of any kind. Yeah, absolutely. And that is really a key. Fair, open, transparent elections are really the key. I mean, the absolute critical factor to any democracy. My last question is about some recent happenings in Nigeria. Now, the US government through the consulates were among some of the people who are called for justice for the NSAS protesters and those who seemingly lost their lives according to the reports. I'm going to try to understand from you. Do you care to comment on the recent development? Sure. I mean, we haven't had a chance to see the paper, obviously. But I think it really boils down to two things. One, trust and accountability. So these reports are really important because they start to build trust back between the government and between the people through these recommendations, through these reforms. I think that it's really, really important to you have to build that trust back through actions of the state, actions of the federal government. But at the same time, you have to hold people accountable for those that committed crimes, for those that broke the law, for those that did things that were counter to the democratic principles, they have to be held accountable. And that also builds trust. When you hold people accountable for their actions when they break the law, that will also build trust between the government and between the people. And indeed, our ambassador said this just today, as our secretary said when he was here in November as well. Yeah, because a lot of people, even civil society, the Labor Congress, everyone was asking the secretary to talk to the president about this issue, to pressure him to make sure he does right. But we heard stuff about sanctions. I don't know. I don't know if you can talk about it, but Nigerians are pushing that if justice is not done, there should be sanctions whatsoever from the international community. Yeah, I don't think that really has been discussed. That you know, we're still, I think, waiting for what the recommendations that come out, what comes out from those recommendations, we're very hopeful that there will be action, that there will be reforms, that those who did commit crimes will be held responsible, will be held accountable. So I think it's really too early to talk about those, because we really need to see how this plays out. But we continue to raise this publicly and privately. So human rights, transparency, rule of law, free and fair open elections, those are all of the garden of democracy that I talked about. They all have to be very, very healthy. They all have to be really tended to and also really appreciated and looked after as well. And that would, of course, build interest in more of our democracy. But I want to say thank you, Steven and Belly, as of the U.S. consulates in Lagos. Thank you so much for speaking with us. Thanks, Maria. Appreciate it. All right. Always a pleasure. Well, thank you all for staying with us. It's been Plus Politics. I'm Marianna Clinton. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night.