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Nigeria-US
relations have further been strengthened by the military cooperation to
combat terrorism, the new U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, Terence McCulley,
said on Sunday in Abuja. Mr. McCulley who was the guest at the forum of
the News Agency of Nigeria, said that relations were currently at the
highest level, given the recent bilateral engagements between the
countries. The ambassador noted that both countries are having a very
cooperative military-to-military engagement. According to him, Nigeria
is a member of a multinational trans-Saharan counter-terrorism
partnership initiative which looks at building capacity and addressing
common threats affecting all nations in the region.

Speaking
on the Gulf of Guinea, the envoy said both countries were collaborating
to safeguard the region, although “more work needed to be done.” He
also stated that his government has provided $2 billion in the past six
years for HIV and AIDS intervention in Nigeria. “HIV/AIDS relief is
perhaps our largest programme, and we have, over the past six years,
provided about $2 billion in assistance, and $500 million in this
fiscal year alone to mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS,” he said. “We
also have a programme which will be launched this year: the President’s
Malaria Initiative, here in Nigeria. Looking ahead of the next three
years, what I would like to do is to ensure that our democracy and
governance agenda is incorporated into all of these activities.”