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‘I will keep NATO strong,’ says Biden
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday closed a three-day NATO summit in Washington by promising to “keep NATO strong,” in a press conference that focused heavily on U.S. politics and concerns about his mental fitness.
The 81-year-old U.S. leader is facing calls to let another candidate from his Democratic Party replace him in this year’s presidential race due to fears that he is suffering a mental decline.
The opposing Republican Party is expected to nominate former president Donald Trump, 78, at its convention, which begins on Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“My predecessor has made it clear he has no commitment to NATO,” Biden said.
“He’s made it clear that he would feel no obligation to honour Article 5″ of the NATO treaty, which commits all allies to respond if one is attacked.
“But I made it clear a strong NATO is essential to American security. And I believe the obligation of Article 5 is sacred,” Biden contrasted.
“I will not bow down to Putin. I will not walk away from Ukraine. I will keep NATO strong,” the U.S. leader continued.
Biden’s speech followed a three-day summit in which NATO leaders announced further military support for Ukraine’s efforts to repel the Russian invasion, including air-defence systems and a pledge to spend 40 billion euro (or 43 billion dollars) in the next year.
They also declared Ukraine’s future path to NATO membership “irreversible.”
The United States and Germany also announced on Wednesday that the former would station long-range cruise missiles in “episodic deployments” in Germany to strengthen NATO’s deterrence in Europe.
But Biden’s closing press conference was dominated by the forthcoming presidential election in his country, and whether he should persist in running for re-election.
When asked whether he’d still be able to “deal with” Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping three years from now, Biden said he would not talk to Putin until the Russian leader changed course.
“I’m dealing with Xi right now and (I’m in) direct contact with him.
“I have no good reason to talk to Putin right now. There’s not much that he is prepared to do in terms of accommodating any change in his behaviour.
“I’m not ready to talk to Putin unless Putin’s ready to change his behaviour,” he said.
At times during the hour-long news conference, Biden struggled to express himself coherently, and in one instance appeared to confuse Trump with Vice-President Kamala Harris.
When asked for his opinion of Harris’ ability to beat Trump, he said: “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, did I think she was not qualified to be president” (sic).
He went on to say, “I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president.”
This followed an earlier gaffe in a speech after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when Biden introduced the Ukrainian leader as “President Putin.”
“And now I hand over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination – ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said.
Biden corrected himself a moment later, adding: “….to beat President Putin – President Zelensky!”
In a post-summit news conference shortly before Biden’s, Britain’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Keir Starmer was repeatedly asked about Biden’s mental fitness.
Starmer said Biden “deserves credit” for the summit’s achievements.
“We have a bigger NATO, and more countries; we have a stronger NATO. We have a real sense of resolve,” Starmer said.
“President Biden led through all of that,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told reporters he had no concerns about Biden’s capabilities.
“I have absolutely no concerns about the capacity of the current president of the United States to lead his country and to lead our fight for Ukraine and to lead NATO,” Stubb told reporters.
“I’ve had the opportunity to speak to President Biden on many occasions during the past 48 hours.
“We human beings, when we’re treated in the public eye, we’re never as good as we sometimes look, and we’re never as bad,” Stubb added. (dpa/NAN)
…Gives condition to forgive Fubara
… Says I wanted Fubara’s removal, Tinubu saved Rivers
Abubakar Yunusa
Nyesom Wike has described talks about a coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu as not sincere and believes those behind it are doing so for selfish reasons.
Wike, the Minister of the FCT, said this in Abuja on Friday during a media chat, accusing the masterminds of running away from issues bedevilling the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria’s main opposition party.
He said, “those who are looking for a coalition are for selfish interests, the likes of Atiku and other people, which coalition, with whom?
“Why not come in to repair your party? Everybody wants to become president of the country, nobody wants to say, look, let me build our party so that at the end of the day, our party will be in a formidable position as an opposition party to take over power.
“You don’t do that, the only thing you want to do is let me find a way; how I will be the one, and if that does not happen, then it’s to your tent, oh Israel,” the immediate past governor of Rivers state said.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, are among political heavyweights planning to float a coalition to dislodge President Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election.
That push has continued to make headlines in the country in the past months, but Wike said those behind it, especially members of the main opposition PDP, should fix their party instead.
Wike criticised Atiku, the arrowhead of the coalition movement, saying the ex-VP is about to make the mistakes that led to the PDP’s defeat in the 2023 presidential election.
“You make the mistake yesterday, you want to repeat the same mistake today, tomorrow you make the same mistake, and then you come out to say you were rigged out, who rigged you out? You’ve already rigged yourself by causing crisis,” Wike said.
The minister, who is a member of the PDP, also said the party is not ready for the next presidential election scheduled for 2027.
“The PDP is not ready for the 2027 election. It is very obvious. For instance, I have an examination and I am going to class to read. Indeed, am I reading? Am I studying? You don’t need to deceive anybody that you are reading. You are only trying to read so that people will see that you have carried your bag to class,” he said.
“That is the situation of the PDP. So, they cannot say for sure that they are ready for 2027. Power struggle cannot help the party.”
A prominent Northern Christian cleric, Isa El-Buba, has raised alarm over what he described as an ongoing genocide in Plateau State.
El-Buba alleged that foreign terrorists are colluding with some local herders to violently displace communities and occupy their ancestral lands.
“These are not the local herders that we used to know. These are Fulani terrorists who target communities. When these terrorists come in, they connive with some of the locals.
”They give them information. They come in from outside and they invade,” he said.
Speaking during an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Friday, a socio-political programme on Channels TV, the cleric strongly supported the recent assertion by Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, that the attacks in the state amount to genocide.
The Jos-based cleric, who hails from Borno State, while speaking on the recent killings on the Plateau, argued that the repeated and coordinated nature of the violence indicates a well-orchestrated plan to destabilise the region and ultimately reconfigure its demographic and territorial identity.
“Just like the Governor said: it’s a genocide. It’s not something that just happened. It’s been happening with several attacks in the past and recently, what has happened on the Plateau,” El-Buba said.
“You know very well that Plateau is cosmopolitan. It houses virtually all Nigerians. And if anything goes wrong with Plateau, everything goes wrong with Nigeria.”
He warned that Nigeria’s unity could be in jeopardy if urgent intervention is not undertaken.
“If there is no intervention, there is a bleak future for this country will stand together. We are actually in a very serious time in the history of this country.”
The cleric pointed to the disturbing reality that over 60 communities in Plateau have been attacked, their inhabitants killed or displaced, properties destroyed, and the attackers now living in the conquered communities.
“In some of the communities that were attacked—over 60 of them—the people who attacked those communities displaced the people, killed them, destroyed their properties and now occupy those communities. This tells you a lot about what these people are up to,” he stated.
He further alleged that the attackers feel emboldened due to perceived protection during the previous administration.
“In the past administration, these people felt it was their government. They felt protected. These people move with arms. I raised an alarm, called on the then president to speak to his own people in his own dialect.”
He emphasised that the violence is not being perpetrated by the traditional Fulani herders known to local communities, but by armed, foreign Fulani extremists with a deliberate plan.
According to El-Buba, the goal of these attacks is not random violence, but a larger ideological agenda to seize land and permanently displace the original owners.
“They have a programme, a plan, a mandate, and that mandate is that they must occupy and send the owners of the land away.”
His comments have sparked renewed calls for federal authorities to act decisively to restore peace, justice, and secure land rights in Plateau and other affected regions.
El-Buba concluded with a passionate appeal for national unity and decisive leadership to prevent further bloodshed and protect Nigeria’s fragile cohesion.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday asked Christians in the country to use the Holy Week and Easter to reflect on the enduring values of sacrifice, redemption, love, and hope.
The President made the call in a message he signed on Good Friday, two days to the Easter celebrations.
According to Tinubu, he was saddened by the recent insecurity in the country. He also directed security operatives to decisively end the insecurity without delay.
“The recent tragic incidents and the loss of lives in some parts of our country deeply saddened me. I understand the pain and fear these incidents have caused. Let me assure you that my administration’s resolve to restore peace and security remains unshakable. Forces of evil will never prevail over our country,” Tinubu said.
“I have given clear directives to the Armed Forces and all relevant security agencies to end insecurity decisively and without delay. With the unwavering courage and commitment of our gallant men and women in uniform, we are turning the tide and making steady progress in reclaiming peace and stability.
“As President of our blessed nation, I draw inspiration from this timeless message of hope and renewal. I remain steadfast in my commitment to delivering the promise of a Renewed Hope, a better, more just, and prosperous Nigeria for all.
“The Holy Week, which spans Palm Sunday through Holy Thursday and Good Friday and culminates in Easter Sunday, calls us to reflect deeply on the enduring values of sacrifice, redemption, love, and hope.”
The President also expressed gratitude to Nigerians for their “patience and resilience as our economy begins to show encouraging signs of recovery.”
“We understand the economic challenges many of you are facing, and we are working tirelessly to restore investor confidence, stabilise key sectors, and build an inclusive economy that serves the interests of all Nigerians.
“During this Easter, we join the global Christian community in thanking God for Pope Francis’s recovery. We pray that his renewed strength continues to inspire his leadership and service to humanity.
“I earnestly pray that Easter’s spirit fills every heart and home with renewed faith in the immense possibilities ahead of us as a nation. Just as Christ triumphed over death, so too shall our country triumph over every challenge we face. The present moment may be cloudy, but it will usher in a glorious day,” he added.