US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has commended the Nigerian governmentbfor its close collaboration in successfully repatriating funds linked to forfeited luxury real estate and the Galactica Star Superyacht.
A statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir and made available to Channel Network Afrique, CNA attributed this to a valedictory telephone conversation between the Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell.
According to the statement, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, made the commendation as well as thanked Tuggar and his team which he said the repatriation negotiations, had made him a believer in the country as he pledged the support and cooperation of the incoming deputy Secretary of State.
On his part, Ambassador Tuggar thanked him for his dedication to the process and steadfast determination to bringing the repatriation to fruition.
The call addressed bilateral issues between the two countries, such as leveraging technology to turn digital assets like Binance into mutually beneficial opportunities for Nigeria to become a hub of data mining, data storage and artificial intelligence.
According to Tuggar, as energy producers, “Nigeria’s robust gas energy transition plans, like the African Atlantic gas pipeline traversing 15 African countries, can provide the requisite energy supply for crypto players and data miners. This has great potential, and we are counting on our allies like the United States and Morocco.
“Truly, Nigeria and the United States are going back to basics, back to strong values, and this is something we can build upon,” Tuggar added.
The repatriated funds will expand the Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-Up project through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
The program is intended to increase access to electricity services in the country.