Professor Tijjani MuhammadPresident Muhammadu Buhari has sent a powerful Federal Government delegation to support Nigeria’s candidate, Professor Tijjani Muhammad- Bande for the position of President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its meeting scheduled to hold in New York on June 4, 2019.
Professor Bande, who is the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, will become the second Nigerian to be elected President of UNGA after the retired Major General Joseph Nanven Garba, who held the position between 1989 and 1990.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mustapha Sulaiman will lead the Presidential delegation with, the Director- General, National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Dr. Bello Aliyu Gusau and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu as part of the team.
A statement by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said that Buhari is confident that Nigeria’s Presidency of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly will provide a unique opportunity for Nigeria to lead the global call to tackle the political, social, economic and environmental challenges facing the world.
It said that Nigeria will be willing to working with UN member states to promote international peace and security, prevent conflict, strengthen global action to tackle climate change, ensure inclusion, human rights, and empowerment of youth and women.
: Nigeria hopes to build on progress made under Ecuador’s Presidency of the 73rd Assembly led by María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, and further promote key themes that President Buhari has championed on the global stage since 2015, which include climate change, combating terrorism and violent extremism, and establishing functional anti-corruption mechanisms to assist countries like Nigeria recover and repatriate stolen funds.”
