Buhari Appoints Kingibe as Special Envoy on Lake Chad Basin

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as his Special Envoy with cabinet rank status to Chad and the Lake Chad Basin Region.

A statement signed Monday night by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, said the appointment of a special envoy by the President was in consonance with the resolution of the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission member countries, on the situation in Chad that took place on May 25 2021.

In his new role as the Special Envoy, Kingibe will among others monitor development in Chad and the Lake Chad Basin Region by aiding reconciliation and seamless progress toward the return to democratic rule at the end of the current Transitional Council Rule.

He is to collaborate with member countries and partners in the region with similar initiative to restore stability, promote peace and security. He is also to promote other initiatives ancillary to the restoration of peace in Chad, the north- east of Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin Region.

The statement said that President Buhari had by the appointment demonstrated the determination of Nigeria to lead regional security efforts that will stabilize the Lake Chad Basin Region, bring peace to Chad and ultimately eliminate the Boko Haram Insurgency in the North East zone of Nigeria, adding it was also a fulfilment of Buhari ’s promise to General Mahamat Deby Itno, the President of the Transitional Military Council of Chad, to support a seamless progress towards return to democratic rule, when the later visited Nigeria last month.

Kingibe, who was on the joint ticket with late Chief Moshood Abiola, winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election, is an accomplished multi-lingual diplomat, who had at various times served the nation as Federal Permanent Secretary, Secretary to the Constituent Assembly, Cabinet Minister and Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

He had also participated in previous Nigeria-led Chadian reconciliation talks (Kano 1 & II as well as Lagos 1 & II).