President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja, the nation’s capital, Thursday, to attend the 14th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The conference, which holds on Friday, May 31, will be hosted by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. It will be attended by Heads of State and Governments of member states.
Announcing the president’s trip, his senior special assistant on media and publicity, SSA, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted the OIC secretariat as revealing that the summit, which has the theme, “Makkah al-Mukarramah Summit: Hand in Hand toward the Future,” seeks to develop a unified stance on events in the Islamic world.
Buhari, Garba Shehu continued in his release, will address the forum and underscore the need for member countries to unite and work together to combat common challenges such as terrorism and violent extremism.
“The President will also push forward themes that have been at the forefront of his domestic and international priorities, including reviving the Lake Chad Basin, investing in Nigeria to create jobs and financing for development,” Shehu said in the release.
The SSA also revealed that the Nigerian leader will, on the side-lines of the summit, “hold bilateral meetings with world leaders to promote increased cooperation and collaboration on issues of mutual concern.”
Buhari, who is expected to return home on Sunday, June 2, is being accompanied by Governors Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State, Gboyega Oyetola of The State of Osun, and Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State.
Also on the delegation are the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mustapha Suleiman; Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar; Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ali Pantami; and the chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Abdullahi Mukthar.
Prior to the summit, a preparatory meeting will be held in Jeddah to adopt the draft agenda and work programme for the event.
On the agenda were the question of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict; combating terrorism and violent extremism; the humanitarian situation in the Muslim world; promotion of scientific cooperation, among others.
With this trip, President Buhari becomes the third Nigerian leader to attend the OIC conference, after Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
