Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama joined US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday for a brief virtual meeting regarding the African nation's personal security challenges and other regional security concerns.
After exchanging pleasantries about the Biden administration's decision, Buhari voiced his government's concerns and called on the US to mull a major change.
"The security challenges in Nigeria remain of great concern to us and impact it more negatively by existing conflicts, negative pressures in the Sahel, Central Africa, and West Africa, as well as the Lake Chad region," he said, according to a transcript from the US Department of State.
"Compounded as the situation remains, Nigeria and our security forces remain resolutely committed to continue them and addressing their root causes," Buhari detailed, emphasizing that strategic partnership is "imperative" for domestic and regional security.
The Nigerian president went on to state that, as a result of these "growing security challenges," the US should consider relocating AFRICOM headquarters from Stuttgart, Germany, to somewhere actually on the African continent.
Such a move would place allied forces "near the theater of operations," he added.
No further remarks about a potential move were discussed, according to the transcript.
The Nigerian president's push for the US to relocate AFRICOM HQ comes a little over a week after Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters that the Biden administration would not follow through with the Trump-era pledge to relocate.
"There was a long discussion years ago of when AFRICOM was established about where it was going to be based, and it was decided to base it in Europe," he said on April 19. "I'm not going to re-litigate that decision today."
