Stream Buhari and Trump's Joint Press Conference Live Here
This is sure to be an interesting one. You can watch it all go down here.
Nigeria's President Buhari is set to meet with Donald Trump this afternoon in Washington D.C. to discuss economic and military interests, reportsBBC Africa.The two are set to take part in a joint press conference airing at 1:30 PM EST.
Over the weekend, a debate arose around whether Buhari was, in fact, the first African leader to be meet with Trump as it had been reported by several outlets. It was determined that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt had visited Trump's White House prior to Buhari. This is Buhari's second time meeting with a U.S. leader since being in office, he met with Barack Obama in 2015.
According toAl Jazeera, Buhari is meeting with Trump in order to help secure military resources to fight Boko Haram. Analysts from BBC Africa, report that Trump will likely focus on securing trade and financial ties with Nigeria, as it's Africa's most populous nation and its largest economy. Many add that China presents added pressure for the US to increase its involvement on the continent, as the country continues to gain more economic influence in Africa.
Buhari may discuss his plans for re-election amidst rampant government corruption in Nigeria—many have expressed their disapproval of what they fear is becoming a gerontocracy. Earlier this month the president was widely criticized for implying that Nigerian youth were lazy and uneducated.
Many Nigerians are reacting to the upcoming meeting on Twitter, with some unsure about how the meeting will turn out. All in all, none seem particularly optimistic.
If you're brave enough, you can watch the entire press conference via the stream below.
