President Barrack Obama of the United States on Friday said that the late Ambassador Adebowale Adefuye, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the country was the major pillar behind the mutual relationship that both country had enjoyed over the past five years.
Obama made this known in a condolence message he sent through his spokesperson, Mark Toner, to the government of Nigeria and the deceased’s family.
According the US leader in the statement, the late Ambassador Adefuye helped build the Commission into a collaborative forum that resulted in progress on issues critical to Nigeria and the United States’ shared future.
“Over the past five years under Ambassador Adefuye’s leadership, we enjoyed a collaborative and open dialogue that yielded real results such as the US-Nigeria Bi-National Commission, a strategic dialogue that succeeded in expanding mutual cooperation across a broad range of shared interests.
“We were saddened to learn of the passing of Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States yesterday, the Hon. Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye. Nigeria lost a distinguished ambassador who will be dearly missed. On behalf of the people of the United States and President Obama, we express our deepest condolences to his wife and his family,” the statement read in part.
A former Fulbright scholar and participant of the International Visitor Exchange Programme, Ambassador Adefuye had a keen understanding of the United States and developed strong relationships with his American colleagues.
His last major assignment as Ambassador was to receive President Muhammadu Buhari and his delegation during the president’s official visit to the United States in July, during which President Buhari met with President Obama and other senior U.S. officials.
“The success of this visit speaks to Ambassador Adefuye’s skill as a diplomat. His tenure helped significantly to strengthen the U.S.-Nigerian partnership,” Obama said.
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