President Bola Tinubu has appointed National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to lead the Nigerian side of the newly constituted US-Nigeria Joint Working Group.
The US-Nigeria Working Group was established to strengthen cooperation in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges, especially in response to the recent rise in terror attacks in the northern region.
Spokesperson to the President Bayo Onanuga, in a statement issued on Thursday disclosed that the composition of the Joint Working Group was part of the agreement reached during a recent trip to Washington, D.C., by a high-level Nigerian delegation led by Ribadu.
The NSA, alongside the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Olufemi Oluyede, and other officials, had visited the White House to convince the Donald Trump-led US government that there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria.
The Presidency also indicated that Idayat Hassan of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and Paul Alabi of the Embassy of Nigeria in the US will serve as the secretariat.
According to the statement, “Ribadu is to lead the Nigerian side of the Joint Working Group, supported by a multi-stakeholder team comprising senior officials from relevant government establishments.
“Other members of the Joint Working Group include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, ernard Doro; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Mohammed Mohammed; and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
“President Tinubu has urged members of the Joint Working Group to work assiduously with their US counterparts to ensure smooth operationalisation of all agreements across sectors.
