Pope Francis has described Muslims and Christians as brothers and sisters who should unite against violence exercised in the name of religion and to “say no to hatred.”
“Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters,” the Pope said during a visit to a Mosque in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, where inter-religious violence has killed thousands of people since 2013.
“We are well aware that the recent events and acts of violence which have shaken your country were not grounded in proper religious motives,” Francis said.
He called on Christians, Muslims and followers of African Traditional Religions to work “for an end to every act which, from whatever side, disfigures the face of God and whose ultimate aim is to defend particular interests by any and all means”.
“Together, we must say no to hatred, to revenge and to violence, particularly, that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a religion or of God himself,” the pope said.
On Sunday, the pontiff had met with representatives of evangelical communities, saying the lack of unity between Christian churches “is a scandal.”
The 78-year-old Argentinean pontiff arrived on Sunday in the CAR for the last leg of his six-day African tour, which first took him to Kenya and then to Uganda.
He met with CAR interim President, Catherine Samba-Panza, visited a camp for displaced people and celebrated a Mass at which he called on Christians to forgive their enemies to overcome violence.
Violence by Christian and Muslim militias has claimed thousands of lives and displaced about a quarter of CAR’s 4.7 million people since mainly Muslim Seleka rebels overthrew President Francois Bozize, a Christian, in March 2013.
Pope Francis came to CAR despite concern for his security- local security forces received backing from UN peacekeepers and French troops, which together number about 12,000 in CAR.
Francis’ first visit to a crisis zone was his 11th trip abroad since he became pope in 2013. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) of Nigeria for the climate change to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). A statement today by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, femi Adesina said that Nigeria’s the President did the approval on November 26 and submitted to the UNFCCC on November 28, ahead of today’s opening in Paris, of the United Nations Climate Change conference, widely known as COP 21. Adesina said that the federal government’s policy on climate change, as espoused in the country’s INDC, is aimed at being committed to 20 per cent unconditional and 45 per cent conditional Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emission reduction post 2020. “The action plan announced by the Federal Government represents a fair and meaningful contribution to address climate change and equally reaffirms President Buhari’s commitment to an economic transformation which places inclusive, green growth as key priority for this administration.” The statement said that President Buhari is fully aware of the acute threat that climate change poses to Nigeria’s development through flooding, desertification and insecurity, and many of these accrue from weather-related natural disasters. Adesina said that the issue of Lake Chad’s current depletion, which has become a cause of international concern, will be major focus of a meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Summit of Heads of State and Government, which President Buhari will attend with Nigeria’s delegation in Paris tomorrow, Tuesday. “The Lake Chad is currently less than 10 per cent of its original size and little of the remaining waters is in Nigeria. Of an estimated 20 million people that lived on the Lake Chad Basin as at 2013, about 11.7 million were in the North Eastern region of Nigeria. “Also during the conference in Paris, President Buhari is scheduled to participate in the launching of International Solar Alliance by the Indian Prime Minister and the French President, where he will seek international partnerships to deliver Nigeria’s climate change response.” [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC) has officially picked Alhaji Yahaya as replacement for late Prince Abubakar Audu as its candidate in the inconclusive Kogi governorship election and has forwarded his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The INEC Deputy Director of Publicity, Nick Dazang confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the receipt of the APC letter naming Yahaya Bello as its candidate in the December 5 supplementary election in the 91 polling units of Kogi state, to complete the results for the election that was declared inconclusive on November 22 after the election of November 21.
Dazang, who could not say when exactly the APC submitted Bello’s name however, confirmed: “they (APC) have sent the name of their replacement candidate, the second runner-up in their primaries, that is Yahaya Bello, to the commission.” The deputy director said that the commission is ready to conduct both Kogi State supplementary and Bayelsa State elections, scheduled for December 5. “The commission is committed to conduct the two elections. That is why in respect of kogi, in spite of what happened, we came out with public notice which invites the APC to submit its replacement candidate for the election.” Dazang said that as part of the commission’s preparation for the Bayelsa State poll, INEC would be holding stakeholders’ forum in the state tomorrow, adding that INEC had concluded the distribution of non-sensitive materials for the Bayelsa State poll. He said that the commission would be going to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to collect sensitive materials for onward distribution for the Bayelsa State election on Wednesday. “After the stakeholders’ forum, the commission will immediately on Wednesday commence the distribution of sensitive materials in the state. “We are inviting the representatives of political parties, their agents, observers, Civil Society Organisations and the media, among others, to witness the distribution of sensitive materials.” Dazang said the commission would deploy its officers at National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners levels from neighbouring states to monitor the Bayelsa State election. “You will agree with me that we don’t take any election for granted, no matter how small it is.” [myad]
The gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Saturday, December 5 election in Bayelsa state, and the incumbent governor of the state, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson has set a new standard in electioneering campaigns in Nigeria. He has raised the bar so high that it would never be the same again. The extent of outreach and depth of discourse in his rallies have made it easy to separate the wheat from the chaff and the contenders from the pretenders and in this race, there is only one contender. My many years of learning has taught me that elections are won by credible candidates who vigorously canvass for support and votes. This Henry Seriake has done excellently well. I joined him in traversing the length and breadth of Bayelsa State as part of his campaign train. In deed, when I discovered sometime in October that I would be on the campaign trail, I did not exactly realize what lay ahead and how grueling every single day in the next couple of weeks would be. I did not realize I would be visiting almost every community in the state and connecting with people and issues I never in a million years thought I would, but every single minute of it was worth it. I learnt to jump deftly in and out of boats after suffering a bad fall from the pier on my first week. But my confidence grew by the day, especially from watching the Governor not just enduring every single experience with us, but defying the scorching heat and pouring rain to lead the charge like a five star general. We all drew strength from him. I witnessed sights and sounds that will stay with me for the rest of my life and heard stories I would share with my grandchildren when they come. Women in Ikolo literally removed the wrappers on their backs and trunk boxes and had them laid on the ground through the winding foot path linking the jetty and the town hall in appreciation of a governor that had done so much for their community. Men, women and youths of Okumbiri jumped into the river with glee in their hearts and a glint in their eyes as they swam a good fifty metres to welcome their “contriman” governor and his entourage. I saw women tie their wrappers across their chest in a way symbolic of nurturing and care that it left us all in awe. I looked on in amazement as community leaders and paramount rulers gave their blessings and prepared the governor for the coming polls with symbolic gifts of wrappers, bibles and lanterns. From Oluasiri where we lost our way several times navigating through the rivers and creeks because even the boat drivers were not sure of the route, to the great Nembe city where we were drenched in the rain, Governor Dickson demonstrated why the people wanted him to lead them in 2012 and why they overwhelmingly want him to continue until 2020. He empathized with the people when sympathy was needed and even though he towered above everyone in height and stature, he was quick to remind the crowd that the forthcoming election was about peace and not war. He cautioned that restrain was an imperative no matter the level of provocation every time concerns about violence and the use of federal might to intimidate voters were raised. If the campaign took a toll on the governor which I figure it must have at times, it did not show because he spoke eloquently everywhere we went (in fact I have never seen anyone do extempore better). And when he had to tie those heavy wrappers that must have weighed a ton and then some, he did not miss a beat as he danced with his legions of supporters or slow down his pace as he walked from jetty to palace to town hall completely surrounded by a sea of people, so much so that photographers and cameramen had to climb on tree stumps and tall buildings to get a good shot. Even though I remember the frenzy and the carnival like atmosphere that welcomed HSD throughout the tour, what caught my attention the most was his message and the things he spoke about. I appreciated his admonition to pursue peace and why it was important for Bayelsans to come out and vote for a party and a governor that had worked so hard to obliterate from their memories an era when they did not feel safe and secure as they do today. In community after community the people chanted “tufiakwa” (God forbid) in unison, united in their resolve to reject the APC and its candidate. Dickson reminded his supporters of the infrastructural developments the state had witnessed in the last three and the half years of his administration. The road linking Nembe to the state capital and the other senatorial roads that are all in advance stages of completion will make agriculture and commerce more profitable for the people. These roads will bring investments, tourists and investors to faraway communities and places in Ekeremor, Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, Brass and Kolokuma that were only once imagined, never visited. I also appreciated his concern that this election be used to make a statement. A strong and irrefutable statement about their Ijawness and why they should not allow themselves to be misled into willingly surrendering the governance of their state and its finances to forces and influences in Lagos and Abuja, by desperate politicians who care only about their personal interest and momentary gains. Politicians that would do anything including the betrayal of the very people that entrusted them with leadership in the first place just to stay relevant. If you are from Bayelsa State, live in Bayelsa State or have family and friends living in the glory of all lands then Saturday 5th December 2015 is a date you should look forward to with great expectation for a historic outcome, and understandably so. Bayelsans will be answering the important question of whether we are going forward or backwards, if we want to make progress or experience regression. Or if like one of the billboards proclaim loudly, we want to return to Egypt or continue to press on to Canaan. What HSD accomplished in the last four weeks has redefined what grass-root campaigning is about. In deed he has set the bar so high, it would never be the same again. HSD connected with the people he serves. In some places he slept over so he could lengthen his conversation with them and where it was not possible he partook of their bread and water and whatever else they offered from the kindness of their hearts. He smiled and shook hands with school children. Young boys and girls who in spite of their ineligibility to vote came out in their numbers to show appreciation for the positive transformation in their fortunes. As governor, Henry Seriake Dickson declared a state of emergency in the educational sector and made education a top priority issue for his administration recording visible and verifiable outcomes. HSD was always the first to come out of the boat or car. He reached out extensively. He defied protocol, making unscheduled stops to meet and greet mechanics and artisans, market women and youth groups, farmers and fishermen, Bayelsans and non-Bayelsans and as many people as wanted audience with him. He had a chance to explain first hand, issues about salaries and the financial position of the state. Communities expressed their problems to him and they got immediate solutions and where that was not possible the channels were created for further discussions. Henry Seriake Dickson has done everything a good man ought to do to ensure victory at the polls. He has played his part. His score card has high grades in performance and campaigning. All that is left is for INEC and the security agencies to be allowed to do theirs without interference. Like they say in situations like this, let the best man win and in my books the best man is the one who worked the hardest and who has God on his side. In this contest, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson stands head and shoulders above his competitors. He certainly deserves all the goodwill he received along the way.
*Michael Afenfia wrote in from Yenagoa, Bayelsa state. [myad]
I have been amused, reading a number of jokes concerning the frequency of the President, Muhammadu Buhari’s foreign trips.
Questions have been raised about why so many visits, and what are the benefits Nigeria is getting?
I will make it clear from the beginning that the critic is entitled to his and her opinion and nothing said here is intended to silence him or her.
Criticism goes with the territory and as it is often said in a wisecrack, if you don’t like the heat, get out of the kitchen.
President Muhammadu Buhari came into office under the mantra of change. While Nigerians are yearning for change, you need someone who will set up the infrastructure, both at home and abroad for it. President Buhari is busy doing that.
The change is manifest in where he visits and what he does.
In the delegations accompanying him abroad, President Buhari has slashed the numbers, bringing them down to a tolerable or the bearable minimum.
He went to the United Nations General Assembly in September with an unbelievable 32 officials in his delegation. These included his cook, his doctor and luggage officer.
His predecessor in office went to the same meeting with 150 officials and family members the year before.
Wherever they are given government accommodation and feeding, members of President Buhari’s entourage receive reduced allowances, thereby saving the government some money.
In public diplomacy, experts say that it is better conducted through face-to-face interaction than through third parties. This is even moreso at the level of heads of state. To do by it by proxy is to miss the effect of fostering strong interpersonal relations between leaders, by which nations benefit.
President Buhari has so far visited Germany, South Africa, USA, Niger, Tchad, Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, South Africa, India, Iran and Malta, where we are presently for the Commonwealth Summit. Mostly, these were due to either the United Nations, EU, African Union or energy and security-related summits. They were mostly undertaken to attend specific meetings, not State Visits. Looking at these assignments, the trips are inescapable for the President. What would Nigerians say of their leader when see the array of world leaders assemble, as they would shortly be doing discussing climate change in Paris on Monday and their own President is missing from the table?
Those of us who were around under Abacha read all the taunts about him being a sit-at-home leader. Abacha was despised for not representing his country abroad.
President Buhari’s foreign visits have been marked by punishing schedules. They are always business-like and results-oriented.
All trips have been marked by tight schedules. Meeting after meeting, happening back-to-back morning, afternoon and evening. The President has had to travel overnight for some of these meetings.
The visit by any president to another country is the highest act in international relations.
It sends out a message that that county is important to the visitor.
It is not like your usual vacation abroad. Official discussions involving political leaders, the military, the diplomats and at times, business people are held at multi- track levels. In foreign policy you stand on a quick sand of events and you slip up if take a rest or lose focus. Governments also know that their achievements at home will be meaningless if they cannot project them abroad. Who or where are the foreign investors,whose hand you are seeking if you can’t travel meet them? Will they come if they don’t know about the country? President Buhari demonstrated a keen understanding of these when in the first week of his taking the office, he brought together foreign policy and all three cardinal objectives of his administration-security,economy and war on corruption- by embarking on visits to neighboring countries.
In our recent history, much of the West had ignored Nigeria under the corrupt PDP administration for many years, which warranted the country’s tilt towards some Asian countries.
As a consequence, this country has suffered past isolation of various types, including the denial of access to the arms-purchase market.
As a member of the then Standing Committee of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, I remember being in a delegation that visited the Aso Rock Villa, to beg the government at that time not the execute the writer and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa.
At the meeting with the Number Two man in that government, Major-General Oladipo Diya, he announced to everyone’s shock and disbelief that Ken had been executed. “Honestly,” he muted, “I think he has been executed about two days ago.”
What followed that pronouncement was a global outrage.
The then Foreign Affairs Minister, Arch. Tom Ikimi representing Nigeria at the Commonwealth meeting in New Zealand, shattered the feelings of the leaders of those countries when he announced to them that he had not been briefed about the executions and begged for time to talk to the leaders back in Nigeria.
Nigeria faced an imminent expulsion from the group and would have been so sacked but for the intervention of the then President of South Africa, late Nelson Mandela.
In place of this extreme form of sanction, a suspension and and a barrage of sanctions followed and remained in place until an appreciable remorse was was shown and progress made towards the return to democracy by Nigeria.
Throughout that period of time, it was difficult being a Nigerian in the international space.
As council members of the UN Human Rights Commission, Africans would caucus in Geneva without us Nigerians. Like lepers, we were shunned wherever we showed up.
I mentioned this short narrative to illustrate two things: one, for a country to do the right things all the time and two, you don’t know the joy being a part of international gatherings until you suffer the pain of exclusion from them.
Short of begging the world, there was nothing that the Abacha government didn’t do to be taken back into the Commonwealth.
And it is against this background that I felt the need to pen this opinion in the hope of bringing better understanding to fellow countrymen and women on the current subject matter.
There is no reason to be angry with anyone criticizing President Buhari for traveling abroad. In politics, even if President Buhari were to bring with him a suitcase full of cash and a pot gold each time he returned from a trip, someone will criticize him, saying that the journey is wasteful.
The PDP will kick, knowing that they got 16 years and did nothing with it. Those who didn’t do much during their term of governance will find it instructive to fault whatever the President is doing.
If President Buhari is successful as a leader, the PDP will be history.
My own point here is that he is doing a great job and the fruits are here, and many more will soon come. He is working to strengthen diplomatic relations, trade and the security of our nation. He holds serious meetings with serious investors and has fetched us investments in the range of billions of US Dollars.
Now, countries such as France, UK, The U.S are supporting Nigeria with intelligence, weapons and training for our military against Boko Haram and the economic saboteurs in the Delta region.
President Buhari will definitely make Nigeria great,what the PDP fooled us for 16 years.
All heads of countries around the world now take Nigeria seriously. His foreign trips are for business, security of the country and bilateral contacts- contacts that get actualized by follow-ups and the love and support a leader enjoys at home and abroad.
Today the world is in a warm embrace of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Nigerians should be proud of the attention, love and admiration, importance, respect and investment he is bringing to Nigeria. These trips are not for enjoyment.
Lastly, to answer those who ask all the time, what is he bringing back home?
We are not a country of beggars. It is good if something is in the bag as the leader comes home from a trip.
Culturally, we never return home from a trip without a souvenir for everyone left at home. Yes it is good he declares something upon his return.
But the most important task for the President at this time is to reset the image of Nigeria abroad, given the damage it sustained over many years in the past.
So far, in fairness, the President has projected a large image of Nigeria and of himself which should be a matter of pride for all our citizens. Marketing of Brand Nigeria can never be more important than currently it is.
The President is doing a great job for the nation. He needs to be supported.
Garba Shehu is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity. [myad]
Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was awarded Doctor of Science (Edu.) in Political Science by the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State today.
L-R: The Vice Chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, Professor Oluyemisi Obilade; the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Obasanjo; and TASUED’s Pro- Chancellor, Professor Olufemi Bamiro, after the award of the Degree to Obasanjo to mark the 10th anniversary and 2015 convocation ceremonies of the University. [myad]
The All Progressive Congress (APC) has made it clear it has not picked Yahaya Bello as replacement for its late candidate, Abubakar Audu in the Kogi State governorship election.
Acting National publicity secretary, Timi Frank has said in Abuja: “we are still consulting on the issue. We would take a final stand on the issue of Audu’s replacement on Monday and we are definitely going to issue a statement on the issue.”
Yahaya Bello who came second in the party’s primary election that produced Abubakar Audu was alleged to have been endorsed by the APC national chairman, Chief John Oyegun.
That is even as some party members have alleged that Yahaya Bello had since defected from APC to pick the form of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The protesters said that he also romanced the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose governorship candidate and incumbent, Captain Idris Wada, he campaigned for. Bello, also known as Fairplus, was said ro have chosen Olusola George Olumoroti as his deputy governorship candidate to contest the inconclusive election in Kogi State as SDP candidate. Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it has not received any communication from APC with regards to the substitution of its candidate for the supplementary gubernatorial election in Kogi state.
The Commission said that the electoral body was yet to receive any such communication from the party. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has warned world leaders who gathered in Malta for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be more proactive as idleness and fence-sitting would not bring the activities of terrorists across the world to an end. He emphasised that violent extremism and terrorism can only thrive and endure if good people remain idle and complacent. President Buhari who spoke on behalf of other participating African Heads of State and Government at the closing Executive Session of the 2015 Commonwealth Summit, expressed confidence that terrorism will be ultimately defeated with greater international cooperation and collaboration. “We have had the opportunity to discuss, in a serene atmosphere, wide ranging issues that are of great significance, not only to the members of the Commonwealth, but to the entire global community. “Of particular note is the Action Statement on Climate Change, which is expected to herald our commitment to saving the planet for present and future generations. “Of equal significance are our deliberations on Radicalisation and Violent Extremism. We are witnesses to the growing phenomenon of terrorism that is affecting us all, whether big or small. “The reign of terror will only succeed if peace-loving people choose to remain idle. But I am confident that through our collective efforts, we will defeat this scourge and restore peace.” The Nigerian leader reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of Nigeria and other African member-countries to the promotion and protection of the core values of the Commonwealth. “I came into power via democratic principles and values espoused by this same body. Nigeria as a country will continue to protect and promote these democratic ideals.” President Buhari thanked the outgoing Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma for his exemplary service to the Commonwealth. “We in Nigeria will not forget his five memorable visits to our country during his tenure. As this is his last CHOGM in his present capacity, I know I speak for my colleagues from Africa in expressing our immense gratitude and best wishes to him.” He also congratulated the Commonwealth’s Secretary-General-elect, Rt. Hon. Patricia Janet Scotland, and assured her of the full support of Nigeria and other African members of the Commonwealth. [myad]
The Governor of Osun state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has advised his people and Nigerians to go back to farms immediately as the oil that has sustained the nation’s economy for a long time is now drying up and attracting less market across the world. “I want to use this opportunity to admonish us to return to the farms. What we used to rely on as a country and state is no longer there. Oil has now dipped seriously. Even at about 41 Dollars per barrel from a price of over 100 Dollars, Nigeria still cannot sell her oil in the international market.” The Governor who spoke today during the official commissioning of the new Ife/Orile-Owu 33KV feeder line at Orile-Owu in Ayedaade Local Government Area further warned: “anyone who does not want to be wired by hunger must return to the farms.” According to the governor, with what is happening to the nation’s oil, “we can no longer depend on it. “I want to assure you that more people will be coming from the cities to this place. Please try and get enough place for them to stay. Everybody must return to agriculture to survive.” Aregbesola said that his government recently gave some hectares of land to IITA for farming and that with the electrification of Orile-Owu and other farm settlements, there would be great improvement in agriculture around the areas. He asked the people to take this advantage of the opportunities being made available to take to massive farming for the growth of the state. The governor made it clear that he is committed to making life meaningful and abundant to the people of Osun hence the infrastructural development in the nooks and crannies of the state. The Governor commended the people of Orile-Owu and its environs for their patience over the years before electricity was restored to the communities with a total cost of N225 million. He said that his administration decided to assist the service providers by rehabilitating the Gbongan-Ikire 33KV feeder line, ending at Araromi-Owu, Odeyinka and three farm settlements of Mokore, Oyere-Aborisade and Ago-Owu. Aregbesola said that the new 33KV relief feeder line will ensure stable power supply to the farm settlements thus stemming rural/urban drift by encouraging the teeming populace to return to farming in the farm settlement. “There is no town or village in Osun that has not been touched in terms of infrastructural development by our administration. The governor appealed to the people to pay their taxes for them to continue to enjoy government. Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the state ministry of water resources, rural development and community affairs, Engineer Oriolowo said that the age long isolation of some settlements from the National electricity grid is now being addressed with the construction of the new 33KV outdoor bay at 132/33KV transformer stations in Ajebandele in Ile-Ife. He put the cost of the project at N225, 065, 749.92, adding that it was constructed with fibre cross arms and conductor size of 150mm2 on reinforced concrete poles with shorts pannage of 60m. “I want to thank Mr. Governor for his strong support for our ministry which has enabled us to complete a total of 193 electrification projects at the cost of N1,487, 015, 127. 18. “Currently, three other feeder lines namely: Gbogan/Ikire, Osogbo/Ila, Ibokun/Osunjela and Iwo/Ejigbo are being rehabilitated while another new one is being constructed to link the 132/33KV transformer statations at Ilesa to Fadahunsi injection station in Ilesa.” [myad]
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]
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Buhari’s Trips Are Not For Fun, By Garba Shehu.
I have been amused, reading a number of jokes concerning the frequency of the President, Muhammadu Buhari’s foreign trips.
Questions have been raised about why so many visits, and what are the benefits Nigeria is getting?
I will make it clear from the beginning that the critic is entitled to his and her opinion and nothing said here is intended to silence him or her.
Criticism goes with the territory and as it is often said in a wisecrack, if you don’t like the heat, get out of the kitchen.
President Muhammadu Buhari came into office under the mantra of change. While Nigerians are yearning for change, you need someone who will set up the infrastructure, both at home and abroad for it. President Buhari is busy doing that.
The change is manifest in where he visits and what he does.
In the delegations accompanying him abroad, President Buhari has slashed the numbers, bringing them down to a tolerable or the bearable minimum.
He went to the United Nations General Assembly in September with an unbelievable 32 officials in his delegation. These included his cook, his doctor and luggage officer.
His predecessor in office went to the same meeting with 150 officials and family members the year before.
Wherever they are given government accommodation and feeding, members of President Buhari’s entourage receive reduced allowances, thereby saving the government some money.
In public diplomacy, experts say that it is better conducted through face-to-face interaction than through third parties. This is even moreso at the level of heads of state. To do by it by proxy is to miss the effect of fostering strong interpersonal relations between leaders, by which nations benefit.
President Buhari has so far visited Germany, South Africa, USA, Niger, Tchad, Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, South Africa, India, Iran and Malta, where we are presently for the Commonwealth Summit. Mostly, these were due to either the United Nations, EU, African Union or energy and security-related summits. They were mostly undertaken to attend specific meetings, not State Visits. Looking at these assignments, the trips are inescapable for the President. What would Nigerians say of their leader when see the array of world leaders assemble, as they would shortly be doing discussing climate change in Paris on Monday and their own President is missing from the table?
Those of us who were around under Abacha read all the taunts about him being a sit-at-home leader. Abacha was despised for not representing his country abroad.
President Buhari’s foreign visits have been marked by punishing schedules. They are always business-like and results-oriented.
All trips have been marked by tight schedules. Meeting after meeting, happening back-to-back morning, afternoon and evening. The President has had to travel overnight for some of these meetings.
The visit by any president to another country is the highest act in international relations.
It sends out a message that that county is important to the visitor.
It is not like your usual vacation abroad. Official discussions involving political leaders, the military, the diplomats and at times, business people are held at multi- track levels. In foreign policy you stand on a quick sand of events and you slip up if take a rest or lose focus. Governments also know that their achievements at home will be meaningless if they cannot project them abroad. Who or where are the foreign investors,whose hand you are seeking if you can’t travel meet them? Will they come if they don’t know about the country? President Buhari demonstrated a keen understanding of these when in the first week of his taking the office, he brought together foreign policy and all three cardinal objectives of his administration-security,economy and war on corruption- by embarking on visits to neighboring countries.
In our recent history, much of the West had ignored Nigeria under the corrupt PDP administration for many years, which warranted the country’s tilt towards some Asian countries.
As a consequence, this country has suffered past isolation of various types, including the denial of access to the arms-purchase market.
As a member of the then Standing Committee of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, I remember being in a delegation that visited the Aso Rock Villa, to beg the government at that time not the execute the writer and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa.
At the meeting with the Number Two man in that government, Major-General Oladipo Diya, he announced to everyone’s shock and disbelief that Ken had been executed. “Honestly,” he muted, “I think he has been executed about two days ago.”
What followed that pronouncement was a global outrage.
The then Foreign Affairs Minister, Arch. Tom Ikimi representing Nigeria at the Commonwealth meeting in New Zealand, shattered the feelings of the leaders of those countries when he announced to them that he had not been briefed about the executions and begged for time to talk to the leaders back in Nigeria.
Nigeria faced an imminent expulsion from the group and would have been so sacked but for the intervention of the then President of South Africa, late Nelson Mandela.
In place of this extreme form of sanction, a suspension and and a barrage of sanctions followed and remained in place until an appreciable remorse was was shown and progress made towards the return to democracy by Nigeria.
Throughout that period of time, it was difficult being a Nigerian in the international space.
As council members of the UN Human Rights Commission, Africans would caucus in Geneva without us Nigerians. Like lepers, we were shunned wherever we showed up.
I mentioned this short narrative to illustrate two things: one, for a country to do the right things all the time and two, you don’t know the joy being a part of international gatherings until you suffer the pain of exclusion from them.
Short of begging the world, there was nothing that the Abacha government didn’t do to be taken back into the Commonwealth.
And it is against this background that I felt the need to pen this opinion in the hope of bringing better understanding to fellow countrymen and women on the current subject matter.
There is no reason to be angry with anyone criticizing President Buhari for traveling abroad. In politics, even if President Buhari were to bring with him a suitcase full of cash and a pot gold each time he returned from a trip, someone will criticize him, saying that the journey is wasteful.
The PDP will kick, knowing that they got 16 years and did nothing with it. Those who didn’t do much during their term of governance will find it instructive to fault whatever the President is doing.
If President Buhari is successful as a leader, the PDP will be history.
My own point here is that he is doing a great job and the fruits are here, and many more will soon come. He is working to strengthen diplomatic relations, trade and the security of our nation. He holds serious meetings with serious investors and has fetched us investments in the range of billions of US Dollars.
Now, countries such as France, UK, The U.S are supporting Nigeria with intelligence, weapons and training for our military against Boko Haram and the economic saboteurs in the Delta region.
President Buhari will definitely make Nigeria great,what the PDP fooled us for 16 years.
All heads of countries around the world now take Nigeria seriously. His foreign trips are for business, security of the country and bilateral contacts- contacts that get actualized by follow-ups and the love and support a leader enjoys at home and abroad.
Today the world is in a warm embrace of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Nigerians should be proud of the attention, love and admiration, importance, respect and investment he is bringing to Nigeria. These trips are not for enjoyment.
Lastly, to answer those who ask all the time, what is he bringing back home?
We are not a country of beggars. It is good if something is in the bag as the leader comes home from a trip.
Culturally, we never return home from a trip without a souvenir for everyone left at home. Yes it is good he declares something upon his return.
But the most important task for the President at this time is to reset the image of Nigeria abroad, given the damage it sustained over many years in the past.
So far, in fairness, the President has projected a large image of Nigeria and of himself which should be a matter of pride for all our citizens. Marketing of Brand Nigeria can never be more important than currently it is.
The President is doing a great job for the nation. He needs to be supported.