By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
The United States of America, USA Commission for International
Religious Freedom has invited the presidential candidate of the Social
Democratic Party, PDP, Adewole Adebayo, to attend a stakeholders
meeting on religious freedom.
The SDP presidential candidate, who has already departed Nigeria for
Washington, DC for the meeting, will also be meeting with Ambassadors,
State Department officials, university officials, and the National
Black Chamber of Commerce, among others.
He is also scheduled to attend a national Presidential Prayer
Breakfast committee luncheon in Arlington.
“The United States is an important ally to my country,” Adebayo said
upon arriving in Washington, DC.
He added, “It is an honour to have this chance to make my case to the American people and seek ways to further build on our international
relationship.”
Adebayo is campaigning on accountability and good governance platform in a country where corruption has historically been a challenge.
Adebayo’s campaign is the only presidential candidate who has accepted the challenge of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountable Project (SERAP) to declare his assets publicly.
No other presidential candidate has accepted the challenge.
Adebayo’s political party, the Social Democratic Party, won the freest
and fairest presidential election since democracy icon MKO Abiola won
in 1993.
Adebayo’s campaign has been met with hope and optimism by voters, as
exemplified by Adebayo’s wide-margin victory in the race for the SDP
nomination and significant positive coverage by Nigerian media.
The U.S. and Nigeria share close bonds with Nigeria counted as one of
the U.S.’s most important partners in Africa.
The U.S. is a principal foreign investor in Nigeria and two-way trade
in goods and services typically exceeds $10 billion.
Additionally, over a million Nigerians and Nigerian-Americans live, study, and work in the U.S.
“We have much to learn from each other and I am determined that, under
an Adebayo presidency, we in Abuja will work with Washington for
heightened mutual benefit,” Adebayo said.
Adebayo’s own relationship with the U.S. is extensive having studied
law in the U.S. and now licensed to practice in California, New York
and has been involved extensively in litigation and arbitration cases
in Australia, UK, Singapore, and other jurisdictions.
He is currently Chairman of U.S.-based Blueprint Global Group and
Board Advisor to the National Black Chamber of Commerce.
Adebayo is also the Chairman of Sai Phytochemicals which produces
drugs for treatment of sickle cell anemia in India and Nigeria.
As the Chairman of Africa Dialogue Mission, Adebayo was appointed by
the United Nations as commissioner on the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission for Liberia in 2006.
He later founded KAFTAN TV which provides news to over six million
homes in 20 countries and for which he was awarded Best Media
Proprietor of the Year by the Nigerian Union of Journalists.
He has sponsored the education of thousands of youths from all over
Nigeria and Africa.
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