Buhari travels to Rwanda for Commonwealth meeting

President Muhammadu Buhari is to jet out of Nigeria on Wednesday to Rwanda to be part of the 26th edition of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which kicked off on June 20 and will run through June 26.

A statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, said Buhari will “join other leaders to participate in discussions focused on the progress and prosperity of the more than 2 billion people living in the 54 independent countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific that make up the Commonwealth.”

In the statement tagged ‘President Buhari to attend CHOGM 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda,’ the presidential spokesman said Buhari will attend the official opening ceremony on June 24, followed by high-level meetings of Heads of State and Government on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 June.

“The theme for CHOGM 2022 is ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming,’ and the Heads of Government are expected to reaffirm their commitment to upholding the Commonwealth Charter, which focuses on democracy, human rights, the rule of law, as well as economic opportunities and sustainable development,” the statement said.

It added that the Commonwealth leaders are expected to consider a range of topical issues including post COVID-19 economic recovery, debt sustainability, climate change, poverty reduction, youth entrepreneurship and employment, trade and food security.

“Prior to this, the Nigerian delegation drawn from the public, private and youth organisations participated in four forums covering youth, women, business and civil society; and will engage in ministerial meetings and several side events.

“President Buhari is also expected to hold bilateral talks with some leaders from the Commonwealth countries.

“Ahead of the biennial meeting, which was due to take place in June 2020 but was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Buhari, in an article published in The Telegraph, London, stressed that the Commonwealth can become a real global power with improved collaborations on trade and security, lending weight to each other in international bodies.

Read also: My govt has made huge impacts on security, economy — Buhari

“The President will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire; the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi and the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami.

“Others in the President’s entourage are the National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd) Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar and the Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NidCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

“The President will return to the country on Sunday, June 26, 2022,” Adesina said.

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