President Buhari’s presence at AU-EU Summit cogent, highly perceptive – Presidency

A Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s contributions to the just concluded 5th AU-EU summit in Abidjan as cogent,

timely and highly perceptive.

Shehu, who is the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, stated this in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday night.

According to him, during the summit which was held between Nov. 28 and 29, President Buhari demonstrated the pivotal role Nigeria plays in continental affairs and in the relationship that Africa must forge with other regions of the world.

He noted that discussions at the conference were productive and frank, saying this was due in no small measure to the interventions of President Buhari.

“Others who attended the summit described President Buhari’s contributions as cogent, timely and highly perceptive.’’

The theme of the summit was “Investing in Youth for a Sustainable Future.”

He said: “At the summit, the President declared that the single most important investment we must make is to grow and develop our economies in ways that will provide jobs for our youths.

“While we also must invest in education and in other social areas, he emphasized that it is upon our economic maturation that the future of Nigeria and Africa will hang.

“Without jobs, even educated youth become vulnerable to forms of extremism, ranging from joining the ranks of terrorists to risking their lives migrating to Europe through the “sea of sand that is the Sahara and the unforgiving waters of the Mediterranean.

“He said we must declare this the era of African industrialisation for this must be the primary goal of all AU members.

“President Buhari said this and future AU-EU summits must be dedicated to this goal.’’

On trade and investment, President Buhari said Nigeria was not opposed to trade reform but said reform could not be indiscriminate.

He said that trade reform should only occur within the context of the push to industrialise.

According to him, direct foreign investment that produces jobs and creates tangible wealth must be encouraged.

With regard to peace and security, President Buhari stressed the need for greater cooperation to halt human trafficking and the need to act to curb the deaths of desperate migrants.