By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Nigeria’s President, Mr Muhammadu Buhari, will be in Guinea Bissau on Thursday, September 24, 2020, to commission a road named in his honour.
Mr Buhari, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, will also be in the country to celebrate their 47th independence anniversary.
He will be joined in the country by his counterparts from Senegal, Cote d’ Ivoire, Rwanda, Mauritania, Togo and Liberia, the statement said.
It was further stated that Mr Buhari and other invited leaders will attend an official lunch hosted by President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea Bissau and return to Abuja tomorrow at the end of the ceremonies.
He will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama; the Minister of Defence, Mr Bashir Salihi Magashi; the National Security Adviser, Mr Babagana Monguno; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
Nigeria and Guinea Bissau established diplomatic relations in 1974.
Following a military coup in that country, Nigeria in 2012 deployed troops under the auspices of ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau (ECOMIB) to maintain peace.
President Buhari had in response to a request for assistance by the Government of Guinea Bissau, during its last legislative elections, donated $500,000, 17 vehicles and 350 electoral kits to support the country’s electoral process.
In May this year, Mr Buhari received President Embalo in Abuja, during which the Nigerian leader congratulated his counterpart on his confirmation as President, assuring him of Nigeria’s support to the new government in Guinea Bissau.
The Nigerian troops were only withdrawn on September 10, 2020, after the return of stability to the West African country.
Adedapo Adesanya