The Presidency on Sunday said the administration of former President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, failed Nigeria, as it did not receive the deserved support in the fight against terrorism.
Speaking to journalists at Blair House, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the United States government under Obama did not provide sufficient support for its fight against Boko Haram at a moment when help was vital.
“It is important that cooperation between the two countries have manifestly increased under the Trump’s presidency. If you recall sometime back, the President had reason to openly complained that we are not receiving as much as we thought we deserve in terms of support and cooperation especially in our fight against terrorism back then during the Obama period.
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“And it will seem that quite dramatically and interestingly, a lot of the obstacles are being removed under the Trump’s presidency and doors are being opened and we are receiving far more support than most people had expected, he said.
Per Second News gathered that a mere $700,000 fund allocated to Nigeria was blocked by the Obama administration in 2015, sparking a massive diplomatic row.
The Obama government stopped the sale of Cobra helicopters citing a high-minded yet unequally applied legal provision to the Arms Export Control Act, called the Leahy amendment. During a U.S Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on January 27, prompted by Boko Haram’s catastrophic attacks, Robert Jackson, a State Department official, boasted that so far 100 units have been vetted and deemed worthy of U.S. assistance, but also suggested that Nigeria should strike up partnerships with other exporting countries, as Washington will not sell weapons to Nigeria.
The Leahy Laws or Leahy amendments are U.S. human rights laws that prohibit the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense from providing military assistance to foreign security force units that violate human rights with impunity. It is named after its principal sponsor, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont).
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