US President Joe Biden has assured President Bola Tinubu of American support for Nigeria’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, lauding Nigeria’s leadership role in Africa and its global peacekeeping efforts.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar revealed details of the conversation while briefing State House Correspondents on Tuesday.
Tuggar reported that Biden and Tinubu spoke for about 30 minutes on topics of mutual interest, underscoring Biden’s support for Nigeria’s inclusion on the Security Council.
Tuggar quoted Biden as saying, “the United States is committed to seeing Africa having two permanent seats,” and that there is “no reason why one of those seats should not belong to Nigeria, given its position in Africa, its stature, and its importance.”
The two leaders also discussed the partnership between the US and Nigeria on law enforcement, particularly after Nigeria’s recent release of Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, according to the minister.
Tuggar stated that Biden “thanked President Tinubu for his partnership” and for the “collaboration between the two countries with regards to law enforcement and law enforcement agencies, as well as the release of one of the suspects of the cryptocurrency exchange company, Binance.”
In response, Tinubu expressed appreciation for the US partnership across various sectors, including security in Africa, particularly in West Africa. Tuggar added that Tinubu highlighted the “similarities” between the Nigerian and US systems of government, rooted in shared democratic values and rule of law.
Both presidents acknowledged Biden’s forthcoming departure from office, with Biden affirming his commitment to continued collaboration with Nigeria.
“They concluded by saying that they were looking forward to staying in touch, even though President Biden is leaving office,” Tuggar noted.
In February, Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen and Binance executive, was arrested during a business trip to Nigeria on charges of money laundering and tax evasion amounting to $35.4 million—allegations both he and Binance have denied. Gambaryan’s British-Kenyan colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, escaped custody in Nigeria after his arrest.
Last week, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told an Abuja court it had withdrawn the money laundering charges against Gambaryan, allowing him to seek medical treatment abroad.
