By Saint Levinus
By Levinus Nwabughiogu
United States Vice President, Mr. Joe Biden and visiting Nigerian President, Mohammadu Buhari on Monday in Washington DC weighed options that would lead to the end of terrorism in Nigeria.

Recall that U.S. had been a victim of terrorist attacks while Nigeria had also lost scores of persons consequent upon various attacks by Boko haram insurgents.

US President Barack Obama speaks with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, July 20, 2015. Obama welcomes Nigeria’s freshly elected president after the country’s first ever democratic transition. AFP

Speaking at a breakfast meeting held at the Naval Observatory, official residence of the American Vice President, Biden shared with his guest what the U.S had learnt from the terror war, counseling that victory cannot come from military option alone.

He recommended that military option must be combined with strong socio-economic support programmes, even as he promised that the U.S would work with Nigeria to realize that.

The VP also assured of his country’s assistance on rebuilding the Nigerian economy, but stressing that corruption and weak institutions must be tackled head on if Nigeria was to benefit from reforms.
He advised president Buhari to use seasoned technocrats to manage key sectors of the economy, saying that such would instill confidence in foreign investors.

Biden also congratulated president Buhari on his election, noting that the Nigerian people have confidence in his ability to deliver.

A statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina stated that Buhari expressed gratitude to the American government for standing behind the people during the March election that brought him to power.

The statement added that the Nigerian President estimated losses arising from oil theft to stand between 10 and 20 billion dollars, stressing that such income could have been deployed with salutary impact on various spheres of national life like education, healthcare among others.