President Muhammadu Buhari will leave for New York, United States of America on Thursday for a series of meetings and interactions with notable world leaders at the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The President is scheduled to hold talks with the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban-Ki Moon, President Barack Obama of the United States, President Francois Hollande of France, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Vladmir Putin of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China, and Prime Minister Narenda Modi of India, among others.
A statement on Tuesday in Abuja by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, said issues to be discussed include domestic developmental issues, bilateral relations, the war against terrorism, countering violent extremism, the enhancement of global security, peace-keeping operations, climate change and the adoption of a post-2015 global development agenda.
The statement added that Buhari would be accompanied by governors of Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger states, the National Security Adviser and permanent secretaries in the Federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Finance, Health, Industry, Trade and Investment.
It stated that the President would deliver Nigeria’s statement to the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly on September 28. The statement said, “President Buhari is also scheduled to address the World Leaders Summit on ‘Violent Extremism’ – to which he was personally invited by Mr. Ban-Ki Moon during the Secretary-General’s recent visit to Nigeria.
“Also on the President’s busy schedule in New York are a meeting of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, a high-level roundtable on South-South Cooperation organised by President Xi Jinping of China and the United Nations, and participation in the launching of an updated global health strategy for women and children.”
On Buhari’s schedule too are meetings with former President Bill Clinton of the United States, Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which is assisting Nigeria in several areas including polio eradication, and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain, the United Nations Special Envoy on Global Education, who is one of the main drivers of the Safe Schools Initiative.
The President will conclude his visit to New York on September 29 and leave for Abuja on the same day.
