United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Miss Robin Renee Sanders, has said that about one million Nigerians were presently living in the United States and that the perceived image of the average Nigerian as a criminal was wrong.
According to her, the strategic partnership between Nigeria and her country was of immense benefit to the two countries as there were future opportunities in the bi- lateral relationship.
“Nigeria is both our strategic partner and friend in a number of ways particularly in supporting efforts towards democracy. We have more than one million Nigerians living in the United States.
The intellectual capacity and dynamism existing in Nigeria is amazing. The average Nigerian does not fit the profile that is being projected everywhere in the media,” she said.
She spoke during a courtesy call on the Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili, in her office in Abuja yesterday.
According to her, the support that President Barack Obama received from Nigeria was reflective of the shared values and respect that the two countries share in common.
On the issue of visas and the Nigerian applicants, Sanders said that Nigerians should not feel victimised: “I want to say this here like this for the first time.
There is a rule of law issue involved in the immigration process and the issuance of visas. That is quite different from the image issues that Nigeria is facing in the United States. There is a huge gap between the image and reality”.
“I have worked hard to entrench due process and transparency in the issuance of visas to the U.S through the automated system. The average Nigerian does not fit the profile that is being projected everywhere in the media,” she said.
The envoy endorsed Federal Government’s “Re- branding project” saying that its aim was honourable as the government wants to ensure that Nigerians are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.
Responding, Akunyili urged the envoy to adopt the advice of former President Bill Clinton to the Obama administration at the THISDAY Awards in Abuja to assign specific people to assist with the seven point- agenda and the Vision 2020.
Source – thisday
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