Why there is a backlog of US visa appointments - Consul General
US Consul General in Lagos, Will Stevens, speaks with TUNDE AJAJA about the collaborations between the two countries, the reasons for the backlog of visa applications, the 2023 Elections and the Next African-American Leaders Summit in Washington
There is a widely held perception that the United States no longer plays any significant role in helping Nigeria deal with insecurity outside of the sale of military equipment to Nigeria, such as 12 Tucano jets and 12 Cobra attack helicopters. How is the United States helping Nigeria?
One of the things that people may not see is that our security and support systems are very much based on partnerships and that we put our Nigerian partners first. plan, and I'll give an example. The Drug and Enforcement Agency has an office here in Lagos and we work closely with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. We provide them with information, training and we work very closely with them. Of course, you will never see a DEA press release. I think that's the best kind of support; help organizations build their capacity, acquire the skills they need to succeed. It's all about partnership; learn from each other and learn together. Nigerian agents know more about drug traffickers than an American DEA agent from Houston. A mantra I say all the time is that we don't need African solutions to African problems, we need to find African solutions to global problems. We need to think about security challenges because these are transnational threats and the same bad guys who traffic drugs, move wildlife products are the same people who are sometimes involved in oil theft, illegal bunkering and the like. They're bad actors and they don't care. So we work together but you won't see us saying what we're doing; there is a lot of partnership on the ground. For example, the United States has been a key partner in Nigeria's fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Your experience in public diplomacy work spans different countries, what are your priorities and targeted goals in your three-year tour of duty in Nigeria?
One of the things I hope to do, along with Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and of course President Joe Biden, is to highlight the strength and depth of the United States' relationship with Nigeria. I think there are huge opportunities for growth in trade and investment and I think a lot of it is about identifying areas where we are already working together and building on them. Success breeds success and American investors and businesses see shared prosperity in Nigeria, so it's about working together to increase business investment from the United States and Nigeria. This also includes work on elections. We have been a strong advocate and supporter of the work done by the Independent National Electoral Commission over the years to ensure that when Nigerians vote, their votes count. We will monitor the election and have made it clear that we do not have a preferred candidate or party for this election. We are doing everything in our power to help Nigeria ensure free, fair, peaceful and credible elections that reflect the will of the Nigerian people.
Over the years young people have not adequately participated in elections, but this time around there seems to be an increase in youth participation. What is the level of youth participation in US elections and what can be done to encourage this demographic of our population to be more interested in exercise?
I think some of the challenges you have in Nigeria, we also have them in the United States, which is that it is difficult for young people to understand the role of government in their lives and to understand how the government impacts their lives and their future, so they don't necessarily feel compelled to vote. Therefore, civic education is a really important element; explaining to them that even the local administration plays a key role in their daily life, the medical services available to them or the infrastructure they use on a daily basis. Your voice counts and that is what democracy is all about. Through the United States Agency for International Development, we supported a variety of programs, including educating people about the voting process and supporting civil society organizations. We believe it is important that people understand how to vote and recognize that their votes will be counted. I believe that when people participate in democracy, they feel invested in it.
You are a former Senior Advisor for Countering Violent Extremism at the Bureau of African Affairs in Washington. Violent extremism is a problem in Nigeria, how about...
US Consul General in Lagos, Will Stevens, speaks with TUNDE AJAJA about the collaborations between the two countries, the reasons for the backlog of visa applications, the 2023 Elections and the Next African-American Leaders Summit in Washington
There is a widely held perception that the United States no longer plays any significant role in helping Nigeria deal with insecurity outside of the sale of military equipment to Nigeria, such as 12 Tucano jets and 12 Cobra attack helicopters. How is the United States helping Nigeria?
One of the things that people may not see is that our security and support systems are very much based on partnerships and that we put our Nigerian partners first. plan, and I'll give an example. The Drug and Enforcement Agency has an office here in Lagos and we work closely with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. We provide them with information, training and we work very closely with them. Of course, you will never see a DEA press release. I think that's the best kind of support; help organizations build their capacity, acquire the skills they need to succeed. It's all about partnership; learn from each other and learn together. Nigerian agents know more about drug traffickers than an American DEA agent from Houston. A mantra I say all the time is that we don't need African solutions to African problems, we need to find African solutions to global problems. We need to think about security challenges because these are transnational threats and the same bad guys who traffic drugs, move wildlife products are the same people who are sometimes involved in oil theft, illegal bunkering and the like. They're bad actors and they don't care. So we work together but you won't see us saying what we're doing; there is a lot of partnership on the ground. For example, the United States has been a key partner in Nigeria's fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Your experience in public diplomacy work spans different countries, what are your priorities and targeted goals in your three-year tour of duty in Nigeria?
One of the things I hope to do, along with Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and of course President Joe Biden, is to highlight the strength and depth of the United States' relationship with Nigeria. I think there are huge opportunities for growth in trade and investment and I think a lot of it is about identifying areas where we are already working together and building on them. Success breeds success and American investors and businesses see shared prosperity in Nigeria, so it's about working together to increase business investment from the United States and Nigeria. This also includes work on elections. We have been a strong advocate and supporter of the work done by the Independent National Electoral Commission over the years to ensure that when Nigerians vote, their votes count. We will monitor the election and have made it clear that we do not have a preferred candidate or party for this election. We are doing everything in our power to help Nigeria ensure free, fair, peaceful and credible elections that reflect the will of the Nigerian people.
Over the years young people have not adequately participated in elections, but this time around there seems to be an increase in youth participation. What is the level of youth participation in US elections and what can be done to encourage this demographic of our population to be more interested in exercise?
I think some of the challenges you have in Nigeria, we also have them in the United States, which is that it is difficult for young people to understand the role of government in their lives and to understand how the government impacts their lives and their future, so they don't necessarily feel compelled to vote. Therefore, civic education is a really important element; explaining to them that even the local administration plays a key role in their daily life, the medical services available to them or the infrastructure they use on a daily basis. Your voice counts and that is what democracy is all about. Through the United States Agency for International Development, we supported a variety of programs, including educating people about the voting process and supporting civil society organizations. We believe it is important that people understand how to vote and recognize that their votes will be counted. I believe that when people participate in democracy, they feel invested in it.
You are a former Senior Advisor for Countering Violent Extremism at the Bureau of African Affairs in Washington. Violent extremism is a problem in Nigeria, how about...
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