ABUJA, Nigeria, May 29 (UPI) -- Mohammadu Buhari, ousted 31 years ago in a military coup, was sworn in Friday as Nigeria's elected president.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry led the U.S. delegation to the inauguration in Abuja, the capital, in a show of willingness to strengthen a relationship between the two countries strained by the five-year administration of outgoing president Goodluck Jonathan. Buhari, a retired general, won the March 28 election against Jonathan.
The new and former presidents performed a ceremony in which flags were handed over, in Nigeria's first civilian transfer of power.
Kerry and Buhari met briefly after the inauguration, accompanied by Gen. David Rodriguez, head of the U.S. Africa Command. A U.S. program to train Nigerian military personnel was suspended, early this year, by U.S. Defense Department after frustration mounted due to Nigeria's corruption and human rights abuses.
Buhari's agenda for the oil-rich African nation includes resolution of problems such as the rampant corruption, poor government administration and the threat of the militant group Boko Haram, strongly entrenched in northeastern Nigeria and identifying with the Islamic State.
