Secretary Clinton is in Nigeria today, the fifth stop of her seven-nation, 11 day tour. This morning she met with the Nigerian Foreign Minister, members of the legislative branch and several cabinet secretaries, taking a “noticeably softer tone” with the country’s leaders according to the New York Times.

During the meeting, Secretary Clinton acknowledged and complimented Nigeria’s contribution towards peace and stability on the African continent (the bulk of African Union and UN peacekeeping troops in Darfur are Nigerian soldiers, and additional troops will also be deployed to Somalia). Secretary Clinton noted that Nigeria is blessed with many resources and the country has the potential to develop social and economic infrastructure. She also urged Nigerian leaders to improve security and increase transparency, actions which would help attract greater foreign investment and lead to economic development.

At the meeting, the Nigerian Minister of Health and a legislator expressed to Secretary Clinton the country’s concern regarding the flatlining of funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Nigeria’s PEPFAR program is one of the largest in Africa, but funding has dropped nearly $10 million a year over the last two years, even though more people are in need of treatment and care. ONE is glad to see that African leaders are drawing attention to this issue, and ONE hopes that this language continues to remind the Obama administration of its commitment to double U.S. foreign assistance.

-Edith Jibunoh & Maryamu Aminu