President Umaru Musa Yar’adua has said the African Peer review Mechanism, APRM, is “one of the most important instruments to help Africa fast-track the development of the continent into industrialisation.” Speaking to members of the Country Review Team at the State House yesterday, President Yar’adua stated that Nigeria is ready to “adjust in areas the review may find us lacking, while we would continue to do those things that are right for our citizens.’’

While welcoming the African Peer Review Mechanism Country Review Team to Nigeria, the president however, gave an assurance of his administration’s commitment to cooperating with the team. In his words: “You are welcome to interact with all stakeholders, after going through our self-assessment report, we are fully committed to the APRM, because it will enable us to serve our people better, ensure democratisation, good governance and optimum utilisation of national resources.

“We want to see Nigeria and Africa transform from under-development to a modern economy that will provide the basic needs for a civilised life for everybody”, he said. He told the team leader that the APRM is “one of the most important instruments to help Africa fast-track the development of the continent into industrialisation”, and commended the African Union for this initiative.

Earlier, Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat, leader of the team, had commended President Yar’adua for the “political commitment and full support” which the APRM had received in Nigeria , adding that Nigeria’s review programme had unleashed the energy of other African nations to expedite their own programmes.
In a related development, Nigeria says it has not agreed to host the headquarters of the Africa Command (AFRICOM), the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Yayale Ahmad, disclosed yesterday in Abuja.

“We have not agreed to host AFRICOM in Nigeria,” he said at a forum organised by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
AFRICOM is an initiative of the United States, which the country said was established to assist Africa in the areas of training of military personnel, provision of health care and fight against HIV and AIDS among others.
When the United States created the Command, it said it would have responsibility to promote security and government stability in the African region.

AFRICOM has its temporary headquarters in Kelley barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. “We are in agreement with the United States and other stakeholders that there is the need for peace in the Niger Delta and also in the Gulf of Guinea because of our hydrocarbon deposits,’’ Ahmad said. “We also realise that we need to enhance our security and sovereign integrity bearing in mind the positions of our neighbours,’’ he added.

“Nigeria’s standpoint is that if the aim of AFRICOM is to assist in the training of personnel, the provision of health care facilities and the fight against HIV and AIDS, its headquarters does not necessarily have to be on the African soil,’’ Ahmad stressed. Ahmad said that with the collapse of the old Soviet Union, the United States of America became the world’s biggest power block, “but it is unfortunate that America does not feel safe where it is supposed to feel safe’’. It created the European Command with headquarters in Germany, the country still hosting the temporary headquarters of the African Command. Nigeria is the second country in West Africa to reject the hosting request made by the United States. Liberia that initially signified its intention to host the headquarters later changed its decision.