The Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to be assertive in tackling corruption in Nigeria and to appoint only “seasoned technocrats” to head key sectors of the economy.
Biden gave the advice Monday when he and Buhari met in Washington DC on the first day of President Buhari’s four-day official visit to the U.S.
At a breakfast meeting at the Naval Observatory, the official residence of the U.S. Vice President, Biden shared with President Buhari what the U.S. has learnt from the terror war, saying that “victory cannot come from military option alone”.
He said military option must be combined with strong socio-economic support programmes, promising that the U.S. would work with Nigeria in that direction.
Biden assured of the goodwill of the U.S. in rebuilding the Nigerian economy, but observed that corruption and weak institutions must be tackled, if Nigeria was to benefit from reforms.
He stressed that seasoned technocrats must manage key sectors of the Nigerian economy, and only then would investors be attracted to the country.
Buhari had said Monday in an article that he will not appoint ministers till September, four months after taking office.
Biden congratulated Buhari on his victory at the March 2015 elections, adding that it was obvious that the president enjoyed the confidence of the Nigerian people.
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