President Bola Tinubu has given approval for the formation of Nigeria’s delegation to the US-Nigeria joint working group aimed at strengthening security cooperation.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, confirmed the development. The statement noted that Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), will head the multi-agency delegation.
The establishment of the working group follows a recent visit to Washington DC by top Nigerian government officials.
Those appointed to the team include Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs; Mohammed Abubakar, minister of defence; Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior; and Bernard Doro, minister of humanitarian affairs.
Also on the team are Olufemi Oluyede, chief of defence staff (CDS); Mohammed Mohammed, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency; and Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police (IGP).
Idayat Hassan from the NSA’s office and Paul Alabi from the Nigerian embassy in the US will serve as the secretariat.
Tinubu encouraged the delegates to collaborate effectively with their US counterparts to ensure the “smooth operationalisation” of existing bilateral security commitments.