
Authorities of France have virtually shut down Paris and mounted right security ahead of the Conference of Parties 21 (COP21) in which about 150 world leaders are expected to attend, beginning from tomorrow, Monday.
Already, the Nigerian leader, President Muhmmadu Buhari is set to fly to Paris later today, from Malta, where he had participated in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Information reaching us indicated that French government is tightening security around the venue of the Conference against the background of the recent deadly terrorist attacks that struck Paris.
Major roads leading in and out of the conference venue and hotels hosting world leaders have been shut down for unauthorized traffic even as the authorities have placed a ban on public demonstrations.
Adequate measures have been taken to block the environmental campaigners who have earlier planned to stage a big march on Sunday in Paris to highlight the climate change issue.
The Conference of Parties 21 (COP21) aims to get nations to agree on how to deal with the issue of climate change even as the Paris meeting is expected to be the last chance to arrive at concrete binding resolutions over issues which have been discussed every year since 1992 under the auspices of the United Nations.
President Buhari is expected to present Nigeria’s statement at the opening session tomorrow, before participating in the launching of the International Solar Alliance same day, an initiative of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who has invited around 110 nations to join the alliance.
The alliance is to be named the International Agency for Solar Policy and Application (InSPA) and is aimed at a host of African nations and others located between located between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.
Buhari will also attend a summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic which has been scheduled to take place on Tuesday on the sidelines of the COP21.
Deliberations at the Paris meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic will focus mainly on the war against Boko Haram and other security issues of common interest to participating countries.
Also on Tuesday, President Buhari is scheduled to participate in another COP21 sideline event titled: “the Conference on Climate Change and African Solutions” and is being organized by the African Union (AU).
Participating with the President at the meetings will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed and the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd.)
The conference will end on December 11. [myad]