Presidential Research & Communications Unit

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on June 7 in Berlin, Germany sought the assistance of the United Nations in the efforts to find a lasting solution to the problems in Niger Delta and his resolve to institute far reaching electoral reforms in Nigeria.

The President who made this request while receiving the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki Moon who paid him a courtesy call, reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to providing leadership in Africa and thanked Mr. Moon for appointing Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and General Martin Luther Agwai into key UN positions.

While accepting the concerns of foreign observers at the last elections, President Yar’adua admitted there were indeed flaws that needed to be corrected because, according to him, it is important for Nigeria to be able to conduct elections that would meet international standard.

“The April elections had flaws and shortcomings but it is significant that for the first time in our history, we had a civilian to civilian transfer of power. But our resolve is to be able to conduct elections that meet international standard. That is important for the sustenance of our democracy.” He noted.

He stated that all the aggrieved parties are in currently in court and once that process is fully exhausted, the reform in that critical area would begin and that Nigeria would need the assistance of the UN in that respect as well as in tackling the Niger Delta crisis.

According to him resolving the Niger Delta issue is a strategic objective of his administration in the bid to ensure peace and security for the nation and reiterated his commitment to doing it.

He disclosed that discussions are going on with all the stakeholders with a view to coming up with a document, which would be given to the National Assembly so that everyone can buy in adding that, the intervention he envisages is similar to the Marshall Plan for the development of then Western Europe after the Second World War and expressed hope for UN’s support of the efforts in that direction.

Speaking on the climate debate, President Yar’adua expressed his government’s preparedness to back the activities of the United Nations. He noted that it is a know fact that, Africa contributes nothing to global warming yet she will suffer the consequences.

Earlier in his remark, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, who congratulated President Yar’adua on his election as Nigerian President said the UN was grateful to Nigeria for releasing ‘such a distinguished officer as General Agwai to head the Darfur Mission.’

He urged President Yar’adua to work with other African nations to help resolve the problem in Darfur by prevailing on the Sudanese President to take more reconciliatory measures and that the same pressure should be exerted on the Somali President so as to end the bloodshed and help attain sustainable peace in the country.

He said that Africa should take more interest in climate change because the continent will be the tragic victim noting that though the resources and the technology to tackle the problem are available, the political will is lacking.

He sought the support of Nigeria in helping to resolve the war in Sudan and Somalia while pledging UN support for Africa in the bid to rid the continent of poverty and underdevelopment.

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