Buhari to discuss security, trade with Obama

SECURITY, terrorism and trade relations would dominate discussions when President Muhammadu Buhari meets with his United States counterpart, Barack Obama in Washington next week, the Presidency has said.

Buhari will depart Abuja on Sunday on a four-day official visit during which he will hold high-level talks with Obama and other senior American officials, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said in a statement.

According to the statement, ”topmost on the agenda of President Buhari’s talks with President Obama and United States Government officials will be measures to strengthen and intensify bilateral and international cooperations against terrorism in Nigeria and West-Africa”.

Buhari, who is due back in Abuja on Thursday, next week, will meet with Obama at the White House on Monday, July 20, hold further discussions with the Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey and the Deputy Secretary of Defence, Robert Work on military and defence cooperation.

The President will also meet with Vice President Joe Biden and confer with the Attorney-General, Loretta Lynch, Secretary of Treasury, Jack Lew, the Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker and the US Trade representative, Michael Froman on United States support for his administration’s war against corruption as well as fresh measures to boost Nigeria-United States trade relations.

The President will later meet with the United States Senate and Congressional Committees on Foreign Relations, as well as the Black Caucus of the United States House of Representatives.