By Sunday Ani
The presidential candidate of the Social democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo has promised to make a symbiotic bilateral relationship with the United States of America, the thrust of his foreign policy formulation if elected Nigeria’s president in 2023.
Adebayo made the pledge in Washington DC, United States of America, when he was addressing a group of Washington’s diplomats at the dinner in honour of Michael Gonzalez’s ambassadorial nomination by US President, Joe Biden. He urged the diplomats and their families to be encouraged by the fact that their contribution to world peace was more than enough to compensate for the inconveniences, difficulty and misunderstanding that characterise their mission.
He said such foreign policy thrust would entrench democracy, freedom and private sector led prosperity that allows more room for the government to attend to the social needs and welfare of the public in an environment of international, regional and internal security. He added that a stable and prosperous Nigeria was capable of partnering with America and taking off many burdens which the US currently bears in Africa.
He described the Deputy Secretary of State, Gonzalez, as an angel of peace and one of America’s finest envoys whose life work has engendered peace in the world and greater understanding between the US and Africa.
He urged Africa and the US to work harder in fostering deeper understanding between the two continents.
Those who were present at the dinner included Ambassador Peter Pham, US special envoy on Sahel and Great Lake Regions of Africa, the African Union Ambassador to the United States, the US Deputy Secretary of State for Africa, Ambassadors from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Niger, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, Mali and Zambia among others. Other dignitaries present were Ms Jan DuPlain, Patricia McDougall, Dr. KY Dele and a host of others.
On their part, the diplomats described Adebayo as an emerging African leader with a clear cut vision for the continent’s rebirth and wished him well in his endeavours.