French President, Hollande to Visit Nigeria as Buhari Hosts Security Summit

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja
In furtherance of the ongoing efforts by his administration to enhance the security of lives, property and investments in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, President Muhammadu Buhari will host the second Regional Security Summit in Abuja on May 14, 2016.

A statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said participants in the summit would include President Francois Hollande of France who hosted the first Regional Security Summit in Paris on May 17, 2014.

Adesina said Buhari and the French president who is scheduled to arrive Abuja on Friday on an official visit to Nigeria would be joined at the summit by the Presidents of Cameroon, Niger Republic, Chad  and Benin Republic.

He said: “The United States, Britain, Equatorial Guinea, the European Union, ECOWAS, the Economic Community of Central African States and the Gulf of Guinea Commission will also be represented at the summit which will have the successful conclusion of ongoing military operations against Boko Haram at the top of its agenda.”

Adesina said speedy resolution of the humanitarian crises caused by the barbaric atrocities of the terrorist group would also feature prominently on the summit’s agenda.

The president’s aide said Buhari would receive Hollande  and the French delegation at the Presidential Villa on Saturday morning before proceeding to the summit.

It is expected that new agreements on further defence and cultural cooperation between Nigeria and France would be concluded and signed after talks between the two presidents and their officials.