President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday, assured the international community that the 2015 general elections will be conducted in accordance with global best practices, in order to further strengthen the country’s democratic institutions.
A State House release disclosed that the President reaffirmed this at separate meetings with the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon and the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron before leaving New York late Wednesday.
According to the statement, signed by the president’s spokesman, Reuben Abati, President Jonathan strengthened his “personal commitment to make elections in Nigeria progressively better, freer and more credible”.
The statement also revealed that “The President said that in keeping with his administration’s dedication to openness and transparency in the conduct of public affairs, international observers will be allowed to freely monitor the 2015 elections and affirm that the elections are as free, fair and credible as his administration has promised”.
President Jonathan, who addressed the United Nations Security Council High-Level Meeting on the Threat of Terrorism to Global Peace and Security, urged both Ban Ki Moon and David Cameron to continue to support the country, in the fight against terrorism.
He requested more assistance from Britain “especially in the areas of intelligence sharing, anti- terrorism training and defence logistics.
“At a later meeting with the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Margaret Chan, President Jonathan expressed Nigeria’s appreciation of the support it received from WHO for the successful containment of the Ebola Virus Disease.
“Affirming that Nigeria is now Ebola-free, President Jonathan called for greater international support to ensure that the virus is also eradicated in other West African countries that it continues to ravage.
“Nigeria is free of the virus now but we know that to be permanently free from it, we must remain vigilant and work with WHO and the international community to eradicate it completely from our sub-region and forestall the possibility of its re-emergence on our shores through migration,” he told Dr. Chan.
“President Jonathan also assured her that in spite of hindrances by insurgents, terrorists and violent extremists, the Federal Government remained fully committed to eradicating polio from Nigeria in the shortest possible time.
“Dr. Chan and Mr. Ban Ki Moon seized the opportunity of their meeting with President Jonathan to commend his exemplary leadership on Nigeria’s successful effort to stop the spreading of the Ebola Virus.”
President Jonathan, on Sunday, left the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja en route to New York, United States, for the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
