Nigerian President Tinubu to Meet Biden on Sidelines of UNGA, Discuss Niger Crisis

Nigerian President and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Bola Tinubu is expected to meet his US counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City to discuss the situation in Niger and ECOWAS' response to the crisis.

This comes as US Special Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, visited Tinubu in Abuja and extended Biden's invitation to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in late September to advance discussions on the Niger crisis.

During the meeting, President Tinubu and the senior US diplomat in particular discussed US support for Nigerian and ECOWAS efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger, as well as various options for resolving the situation.

"President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It is a mark of his high regard for your leadership," the US special envoy told the Nigerian leader.

The diplomat noted that the US will encourage large-scale American investment in the West African nation, adding that the country is committed to working closely with Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen the Nigerian and regional economies.

Situation in Niger After Military Coup

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President Tinubu, for his part, accepted the invitation, stressing that the US must ensure that its policies are in line with the interests of "independent African democracies." He also emphasized that the US-backed financial and multilateral institutions require an immediate and comprehensive reform to meet the development needs of African nations.

"The US government must be innovative in its thinking and systematically create incentives for US industrial investment in Nigeria. Under my leadership, [...] I am determined to create prosperity for all Nigerian families," the president stated.

Tinubu further elaborated that the crisis in Niger would not deter him from successfully completing his economic reforms for the benefit of Nigerians. He reiterated that he would put Nigeria's interests first in his approach to ECOWAS' response to the military takeover in Niger.

According to the Nigerian leader, ECOWAS is trying to resolve the current situation in Niger peacefully through diplomacy, but at the same time the regional bloc is ready for all possible options. He stressed that a full-scale war in Africa is not in the interest of his country and the entire continent.

"We are deep in our attempts to peacefully settle the issue in Niger by leveraging on our diplomatic tools. I continue to hold ECOWAS back, despite its readiness for all options, in order to exhaust all other remedial mechanisms. War is not ideal for my economic reforms, nor for the region, but the defense of democracy is sacrosanct," Tinubu said.

Situation in Niger After Military Coup

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Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by his own elite guard in late July and taken into custody in the capital, Niamey. In response to the coup, ECOWAS suspended all cooperation with Niger and threatened invasion if the country's military leaders do not reinstate Bazoum.

On August 18, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs Abdel-Fatau Musah said that the ECOWAS general staff chiefs had agreed on a date for the beginning of the military intervention, but would not make it public.

On Friday, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee left for Africa to meet with the leaders of ECOWAS, Nigeria, Chad, and Ghana to discuss the military coup and reaffirm US support for the bloc's decisions on Niger. According to the State Department, efforts to free Niger's ousted president from detention were raised in all discussions.