Bring Back
Our Troops From Guinea Bissau, President Tells ECOWAS Commission
President
Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met with the President of ECOWAS Commission and
Chairperson of the African Union Commission at State House
, Abuja, during which
he emphasised the need for accountability and good neighbourliness in both the
sub-region and on the African continent.
Receiving
the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Marcel A. de Souza, Buhari said it was
gladdening that the organisation was demanding accountability from its
headquarters staff, which made it recently invite the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) from Nigeria to look into its books.
“Thanks for
being firm and for insisting on transparency and accountability at the ECOWAS
headquarters,” he said, adding that Nigeria would continue to fulfill its
obligations to the sub-regional body.
A statement
signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, yesterday
said Nigeria would today host the 52nd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority
of Heads of State and Government in Abuja.
The
statement quoted Buhari as saying that he expects a formal report on the
situation in Guinea Bissau at the meeting, noting: “We need our troops back
home and I hope the President of that country will accept a constitutional way
to resolve the situation there.”
The ECOWAS
Commission boss thanked Nigeria for agreeing to host the session at short
notice, adding that Nigeria’s impact was quite strong in the organisation.“We
are under financial pressure due to terrorist attacks in the sub-region, but
Nigeria, being out of recession, will have an impact on the entire region,” de
Souza said, noting that Nigeria was the highest contributor of troops to Guinea
Bissau, just as he admitted that “the troops can’t be there endlessly.”
At the
meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki
Mahamat, the President said good neighbourliness and relationship were
important for security and economic development.
“That was
why I visited all our neighbours. Such relationship is crucial for security and
economic development, so that our youths can get jobs,” he stated.On the
situation in Libya, Buhari reiterated that not every black man was a Nigerian
and it was, therefore, important to authenticate the origin of the people in
distress before they are evacuated.
“We are
trying to bring as many as possible from Libya, but not every black man is a
Nigerian. Others claim to be Nigerian when they are not and because they have
destroyed their travel papers, we can’t claim them, except there is proper documentation,”
the President stressed.
Regarding
recharging of the Lake Chad, which he has championed across the world, the
President submitted: “The earlier we get it done, the better, so that our
youths don’t continue to dare the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.”
Mahamat
congratulated Buhari for what he is doing for Nigeria and Africa,
adding:“Without Buhari and without Nigeria, many things would not have been
possible.“I appreciate the role you played in my election and all that you do
in ECOWAS, Lake Chad Basin Commission and the entire continent.
“We follow
your battle against corruption and it is not by chance that you have been
chosen by other African leaders to champion the battle in 2018. “Your
commitment is notable and I seek your support for reforms that we intend to
introduce in AU. Your guidance is vital. We need Africa to speak with one voice
and the voice of Nigeria is preponderant.”
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