Nigeria wants to work alongside the US to uphold “democratic ideals” in a region rocked by coups, the country’s foreign minister said ahead of a visit by America’s top diplomat Antony Blinken.
Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, said efforts to tackle the backslide in democracy highlighted by the wave of coups that have removed eight west and central African leaders since 2020 would top the agenda when he meets the US secretary of state in Abuja this week.
The pair will discuss ways “to reify the upholding of democratic ideals, and the importance of strengthening democratic institutions in the region”, Tuggar said in an interview with the Financial Times. It was vital that “we don’t put more emphasis on the fight against terrorism than strengthening democratic norms”, he added.