Shiite, Army upheavals; US lauds Buhari for prompt action in Zaria
By; Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar.
The United State of America (USA) Ambassador to Nigeria James F. Entwistle, has lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, for responding promptly by sending federal government delegation to commensurate as well as find the remote causes of the Shit’te/military clash in Zaria over the weekend.
He said the President had shown that he is in control of the situation and needed an immediate inquiry into the matter.
Entwistle made this observation while answering questions from newsmen in Calabar. He was in the state as part of routine visit to Calabar American Corner, Calabar.
He described the Zaria crisis as very unfortunate and expressed confidence that the Federal government is capable of handling it before it gets out of hand.
The Ambassador said the main objective of his trip is to learn about what the state and the Federal governments are doing to protect one of the oldest rainforest in Africa; one that has been identified as a global biodiversity hotspot teeming with critically endangered species.
“We plan to explore ways to help your government and NGOs partners to further promote conservation and stop the illicit trade in wildlife.
“Cross River’s forest are home to a number of endangered species, including pangolins, the forest elephants, the Cross River gorilla and drill monkeys”, he added.
Whiling thanking the state Governor, Senator Ben Ayade and his Exco, he said the hospitality of the state had contributed to the huge success recorded by the American Corner.
According to him “we have 11 of these spaces throughout Nigeria and they primarily depend on the generosity and leadership of our partners. Therefore, I am deeply grateful to the Governor and his administration for their continued support of this American Corner”.
He said that the Corners were available to all, adults and young people alike. Visitors can easily access the Internet for information and research educational programmes in the United States.
He said US government through its Fish and Wildlife Service has been a long time partner of the Wildlife Conversation Society providing €1.25 million over the past five years to promote conservation of the rare primate species that call this region home.
