Nigeria’s acting President meets Obama, others on security, nuclear issues inn Washington DC

Special to USAfricaonline.com

Nigeria’s acting president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, arrived Sunday in the U.S. for a four-day official working visit during which he will participate in the international Nuclear Security Summit to be hosted by President Barack Obama, according to a statement issued by the government.

Jonathan is making his first trip to the U.S. since being named acting president in February, replacing President Umaru Yar’Adua, who fell ill in November and was flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment. Yar’Adua has returned to Nigeria but hasn’t been seen in public.

According to the government statement, Jonathan will meet Obama on Sunday and have lunch with Vice President Joe Biden on Monday, after which he will meet with World Bank President Robert Zoellick.

Last week, Nigeria and the U.S. signed an agreement in Washington aimed at improving bilateral relations in such key areas as trade, energy, electoral reform and peace and security, especially in the Niger Delta, where nearly all of Nigeria’s oil is produced.

Nigeria is a major oil supplier to the U.S., and both countries are keen to improve relations that were soured in December by the failed attempt by a Nigerian, Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, to blow up a U.S. airliner flying to Detroit.

On Monday evening, Jonathan is scheduled to join other visiting heads of government and delegations for a working dinner with Obama, the statement said.

On Tuesday, the acting president will attend the first plenary session of the Nuclear Security Summit, to be chaired by Obama, and then a working lunch with the U.S. president. He will thereafter participate in the second plenary session, which will mark the end of the nuclear summit.

He is scheduled to have a breakfast meeting on Wednesday with officials of the Centre for Global Development.

U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Energy Secretary Steven Chu separately will host their Nigerian counterparts on Monday, Nigeria’s new foreign minister, Odein Ajumogobia, and Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Allison-Madueke.

Jonathan returns to Abuja on Wednesday. -By Obafemi Oredein, Dow Jones Newswires