Towards the further integration of civil society organizations into the electoral process before next year’s general elections, a high-powered delegation of Nigeria government officials and the United States would meet on Monday (today).
The two-day meeting would hold under the Governance, Transparency, and Integrity Working Group of the United States-Nigeria Bi-national Commission.
The U.S.-Nigeria Bi-national Commission was inaugurated on April 6, 2010 in Washington, D.C. by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed.
A statement from the U.S Embassy in Abuja said the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, would lead the U.S. delegation to the meeting.
“The Governance, Transparency, and Integrity Working Group will look toward the continued integration of civil society into the electoral process prior to the 2015 national elections, which will mark another milestone building upon Nigeria’s last elections.
“One aim of the BNC is to support the establishment of benchmarks for transparent and inclusive elections”, the statement said.
U.S described corruption as the bane of effective governance and economic development in Nigeria.
“Through the BNC we aim jointly to improve Nigeria’s capacity to fight corruption.
“Participation in the commission meeting reflects the commitment of the United States and Nigeria to their strong bilateral relationship. The United States supports the aspirations of the Nigerian people for a peaceful, prosperous, stable, and democratic future”, it added.