February 14, (THEWILL) – On Thursday night, President Bola Tinubu arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to participate in the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government.
The President departed Nigeria on February 5th for a private visit to Paris, France, ahead of the AU Summit.
A statement by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu, who arrived for the summit Thursday night, was received at the airport by the Ethiopian Deputy Chief of Protocol, Eshetu Legesse, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and the charge d’affaires of the Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia, Ambassador Nasir Aminu.
On arrival, he was briefed by Ambassador Tuggar about some diplomatic wins for Nigeria at the summit, which kicked off on Wednesday, February 12.
Among the wins was the re-election of Ambassador Bankole Adeoye as African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security. Nigeria also retains its seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council, reaffirming, in the words of Ambassador Tuggar, “Nigeria’s leadership and commitment to peace and security on the continent”.
The briefing, which lasted until about 2 a.m., included Mr Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance; Abubakar Badaru, the Minister of Defence; Jumoke Oduwole, the Minister of Trade and Investment; Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation; Muhammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation; Balarabe Abbas Lawal, the Minister of Environment; and Doris Uzoka-Anite, the Minister of State for Finance.
Others were Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, and Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of Naval Staff.
This year’s AU summit, with the theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”, focuses on reparatory justice and racial healing.
President Tinubu will deliver a speech at the Summit-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council, where discussions will focus on current security challenges on the continent, including the escalation of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The President will participate in meetings on health financing, establishing an Africa Credit Rating Agency, and climate change.
President Tinubu will return to Abuja on Monday, February 17.
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