President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed Nigeria’s commitment to stabilising the West-African sub-region within available resources.
A statement by the president’s spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, said that Buhari stated this at the State House, Abuja during an audience with the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammad Ibn Chambas, on Thursday.
The president was quoted as saying that he was pleased that the United Nations appreciated his administration’s focus on fighting corruption and poverty as well as ensuring regional stability.
Buhari was also quoted to have restated his belief that peaceful relations with Nigeria’s neighbours remained imperative to confronting terrorism and insurgency.
Chambas, who represented the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guiterres at the Democracy Day celebration, said the UN boss extended his personal admiration for President Buhari’s “integrity and quality as a statesman especially, in fighting corruption and driving public accountability”.
He said that the UN was appreciative of the Nigerian leader’s commitment to tackling poverty, terrorism and insurgency as well as recharging the Lake Chad.
While pledging UN’s continued technical support to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) towards the last general election, Chambas also expressed the global body’s delight that Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, was elected President of the 74th UN General Assembly.
He described Bande as “highly regarded by his peers in New York,” adding: “We will ensure his tenure is a success.
“We have no doubt that he will be a pride to Nigeria and Africa.”
He also revealed that President Buhari on Thursday received in audience the First Vice-President of the Republic of South Sudan, Taban Deng Gai, who came to seek Nigeria’s continued support towards lasting peace in his country. (NAN)
