Washington wants expanded commercial relationship

The United States has a “strong interest” in strengthening its partnership with Nigeria and wants it to succeed in becoming “efficient, competitive, transparent and market-oriented,” the US Information Agency (USIA) reported. The US Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Robert Mallett, addressing the first meeting of the US-Nigeria Joint Economic Partnership Commission on 5 November, recalled an earlier period in the late 1970s when President Obasanjo was head of state and the two countries enjoyed a “deeper, more diversified relationship that we have now. Oil company representatives, bankers and manufacturers were always flying in and out of Lagos. We’d like to see that happening again,” he said. Mallett said it was important that democracy was enhanced in tandem with broadening commercial relations.