Buhari to attend 71st session of UNGA in US

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Sunday leave Abuja for New York, United States, to participate in the five-day 71st session United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) beginning on Monday.

According to a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina,  the president would deliver Nigeria’s statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly on “The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform Our World.”

Adesina revealed that the president would also attend a high-level summit to be hosted by the UN, on “Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants’’.

“The summit, which is the first of its kind organised by the General Assembly at the Heads of State and Government level, is expected to come up with a blueprint for a better international response to enhance protection of migrants and refugees.’’

He also said that Buhari would deliver a keynote address on “Taking Climate Action toward Sustainable Development in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin.”

The president’s aide further disclosed that leaders of member-countries of Lake Chad Basin would attend the summit, organised by Nigerian government, to highlight the urgent need to mobilise international response to the situation in the Chad Basin.

“Over nine million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Lake Chad Basin.” He said that while in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders, the president would attend series of meetings as well as side events, which were of significant interest to Nigeria.

Adesina said that the president would equally participate in an event hosted by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, on “Ending Need in the Lake Chad.’’

“On the margins of the 71st UNGA, President Buhari will sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and participate in activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development.’’

He said that the president would attend the Clinton Global Initiative as well as the United Nations Private Sector Forum on Business and Global Goals organised by the Secretary General.

As Adesina explained, the president will lead discussions at the United States-Africa Business Forum devoted to investing in Nigeria adding that the president would hold bilateral meetings with some world leaders in furtherance of his administration’s commitment in ameliorating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

He said that the discussions would also focus on the president’s long standing commitment to returning peace and security in the North-East of Nigeria.

Adesina stated that the discussions would also focus on restoring calm to the Niger Delta, and attracting more investments to develop critical infrastructure and revamp the nation’s economy.