\n

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja emphasized the importance of sustaining democracy, its norms and institutions, noting that protests are an integral part of democracy but that no government will condone demonstrations that lead to the destruction of lives and property.<\/p>\n

The President spoke at the Presidential Villa when he received a Letter of Credence from the newly appointed United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Richard Mills Jr.<\/p>\n

\u201dOur relationship with America is rich. We believe in democracy and freedom. Some of your predecessors worked hard during our transition to democracy, and we remember the likes of Ambassador Howard Jeter.<\/p>\n

\u201dWe look forward to Nigeria and the United States continuously working to expand cooperation on shared goals and democratic values.<\/p>\n

\u201dDuring the military era, we made our voices heard against dictatorship, and I was part of the group that engaged in peaceful protests without resorting to the destruction of property.<\/p>\n

\u201dWe have worked hard to ensure 25 years of unbroken democracy and I will continue to maintain this democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201dIn as much as we believe that demonstrations are part of democracy, we will never encourage any protests that lead to the destruction of lives and property,\u201d the President stated.<\/p>\n

Welcoming the U.S. State Department\u2019s acknowledgement of Nigeria\u2019s strategic role on the continent as Africa\u2019s largest democracy, President Tinubu called on the U.S. government to pay more attention to Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201dNigeria is ready to play its role as the largest democracy in Africa that is worthy of emulation to other African countries, but we need more U.S. partnership on the continent that is beneficial to both sides.<\/p>\n

\u201dWe believe in freedom, and we are providing the leadership to make Nigeria\u2019s economy grow,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Mills affirmed U.S. support for Nigeria\u2019s democracy and pledged support for bigger roles for Nigeria in the international arena.<\/p>\n

\u201dNigeria is crucial to the United States because we share democratic values, and we are ready to give you all the support.<\/p>\n

\u201dI am here to make sure that the relationship blossoms both on democracy and the economic side,\u201d Ambassador Mills said.<\/p>\n

Protest; No govt will condone destructive tendencies \u2014 President Tinubu<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja emphasized the importance of sustaining democracy, its norms and institutions, noting that protests…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8818,6138],"tags":[8,20107,2005,512,180,1095,600,21997,26,876],"class_list":["post-43720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-president-tinubu","category-protest","tag-akwa-ibom","tag-condone","tag-destructive","tag-govt","tag-news","tag-president","tag-protest","tag-tendencies","tag-tinubu","tag-will"],"yoast_head":"\n