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| Hillary Clinton |
Reports say Clinton shelved many of the activities scheduled
for her in Abuja on Thursday and left Nigeria for Ghana.
She later held a
meeting with the Ghanaian President, Mr. John Mahama, at his residence in
Accra. She is billed to participate in the state funeral for the late President
John Attah Mill.
Clinton, on the last
lap of her nine-nation African tour, departed the country shortly after a
closed-door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Security
Council, but she shelved scheduled meeting, with civil society groups and
anti-corruption campaigners billed for the US Ambassador’s residence in Abuja.
The US Secretary of
State also shelved the traditional ‘Meet and Greet’ with US Embassy staff.
At the closed-door
session with members of the National Security Council were the Minister of
State, Defence, Chief Olusola Obada; National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo
Dasuki (retd.); Chief of Defence Staff, Air-Mashal Oluseyi Petinrin; Chief of
Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika; and the Inspector-General of Police,
Mr. Muhammed Abubakar.
The Federal
Government had deployed security agents in many parts of the Federal Capital
City, including the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Umaru Yar’Adua
Way, which were manned by soldiers and policemen as part of the security
measures for Clinton’s visit.
Foreign media reports
on Thursday however indicated that Clinton would not pass the night in Nigeria
because of security fears.
“The security
situation in Nigeria has deteriorated to the point where the movement of US
Embassy workers is often restricted. Clinton will spend only five hours on the
ground and will not spend the night in Abuja, where the hotel traditionally
used by visiting dignitaries has been the target of terrorist threats,” the
Associated Press reported on Thursday.
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