Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has landed in Krakow, Poland, to attend the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) under the United Nation (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), billed to hold between December 2 and 4.
Buhari had congratulated the Super Falcons of Nigeria following their victory against the Banyana Banyana of South Africa Saturday in the final match of the 11th Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON), Ghana 2018,
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on the Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the president landed at the military Base Balice, International Airport, Krakow 17: 44Plpm local time as temperatures dropped to -3 degrees centigrade bringing the first snow.
The COP24 Summit is holding at the International Conference Centre (MCK), Katowice, an industrial hub, about 100 kilometers from Krakow.
Buhari is billed to hold a town hall meeting in Krakow on Sunday evening, where he will be opportuned to interact with Nigerians living in Poland.
It is expected that President Buhari will deliver a national statement to underscore Nigeria’s commitment to addressing climate change by implementing the goals set out in its National Determined Contributions during the Leaders’ Summit at COP24 on Monday morning.
Statement on the President’s engagements released earlier by the Media office had shown that the President is expected to also use the occasion to accentuate Nigeria’s willingness to work with international partners to reverse the negative effects of climate change in Africa and the world over, while expecting that developed nations scale up their emission reduction activities in order to limit the increase in average global temperatures to well below 2 degrees centigrade between now and 2020.
Congratulating the falcons, another statement said Buhari was especially delighted at the discipline and commitment exhibited by the country’s senior women football team despite the stiff resistance of their South African counterparts.
Noting that the Super Falcons had earlier qualified to represent Nigeria at the FIFA Women World Cup tournament in France next year, Buhari described winning the AWCON for the third consecutive time and ninth overall, as the “icing on the cake.”
Saluting the country’s female football ambassadors for doing their fatherland proud and showing clear dominance on the African continent, he urged them to approach the France 2019 competition with clear focus and determination to excel on the global stage.
Buhari also commended the team’s coaching crew, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Supporters Club and all football-loving citizens for adequately preparing and supporting the players, enjoining all stakeholders not to relent in rallying round the country’s football representatives going forward.
“I have never doubted the capacity of Nigerians to excel when given the right support,” he notes, while promising the Federal Government’s commitment to sports development as a unifying force.
