The UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, will arrive Nigeria today for a two-day official visit.
Mr Ki-Moon is expected, to among others, meet with President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock Villa on Monday. The meeting with the president will be rounded off with a joint press conference. There will also be a dinner hosted by President Buhari in honour of the esteemed guest.
The UN chief’s visit coincides with the commemoration of a deadly attack on the UN building in Abuja by Boko Haram militants and in the month that Nigeria is presiding over the UN Security Council and most African countries have said they would leverage on the opportunity to present security challenges facing some African countries. The Nigeria presidency of the UNSC has indeed highlighted many security challenges facing the continent with the Council’s hearing on Violence Extremism last week. Ban will lay a wreath to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the car bombing at the United Nations House, the headquarters for around 400 UN employees that left 21 dead on August 26, 2011.
The visit will be KI-Moon’s second since taking office in 2007. He last visited Nigeria in May 2011 to discuss the crises in Southern Sudan and Libya with then President Goodluck Jonathan.
An itinerary released by the UN Information Centre, Lagos, said during the visit, he is also scheduled to hold talks with state governors.
The dialogue with the governors, the itinerary showed, will hold under the theme: `Pathways to a New Nigeria – the Role of Sub-national Governments.’
Ki-Moon would later in the day have lunch with members of the business community. The lunch time conversation will be on: `The role of Nigeria business and the economy in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and addressing climate change.”
He is also billed to take part in series of activities, including a visit to immunization centres and a dialogue on democracy, human rights and countering violent extremism, before departing Nigeria later on Monday.
