2023 General Elections: US Govt Allocates $50m for Nigeria

• The United States government on Monday, November 14, announced the allocation of $50 million for the 2023 polls in Nigeria
• According to Will Stevens, US consul general, the sum will take care of preparations for the polls in terms of training journalists for election reporting and technical assistance, among other things
• Steven noted that the government wants to see to it that every vote counts during the forthcoming elections

Ibadan, Oyo - Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the United States government has allocated $50 million for the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.

As stated by the US consul general, Will Stevens, the fund will be used for the training of journalists, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and technical assistance, The Nation reports.

Stevens noted that the ultimate aim is to ensure that the coming general elections are transparent such that every vote will count.

Read also

2023 election: Top presidential candidate vows not to go oversea for medical checkup like Buhari

Stevens made the announcement on Monday, November 14, in Oyo during an open session of election reporting workshop for journalists organised by West Africa Broadcast & Media Academy (WABMA).

Will noted that the US government has been working closely with partners through US Agency for International Development(USAID) to ensure that every vote counts.

He said:

“The US government has allocated over $50 million for technical assistance and support, training, for civil society organizations to support elections, transparency, elections processes, technical assistance, working on the IT systems among others.

“We’re committed to initiatives here in Nigeria to build needed capacity. We funded training for hundreds of journalists on topics ranging from fact-checking, health reporting, defense and national security reporting, investigative journalism, election reporting, and media ethics.”

2023 presidency: Atiku reportedly leaves Nigeria to lobby state dept. officials from US

Read also

2023 election: Northern stakeholders call for harsh punishment for politicians, give reasons

Reports had it that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday, October 25, departed Nigeria for the United States (US) to secure support from some top government officials ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Atiku and his campaign team in the US will make concerted efforts to lobby top officials, such as influential members of Congress, to get endorsement for the coming presidential election.

One of Atiku's engagements in the foreign land was a meeting with senior US state department officials held on Wednesday, October 26.

Source: Legit.ng