President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to participate in the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, AU, for Heads of State and Government.
Tinubu was received at the airport by the Ethiopian Deputy Chief of Protocol, Eshetu Legesse, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar and the charge d’affaires of the Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia, Amb.Nasir Aminu.
President Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, made this known in statement, noting that Tuggar later briefed President Tinubu about the summit and some diplomatic wins for the country, a session that stretched until about 2 a.m. on Friday.
According to the statement, in this year’s AU summit, President Tinubu will deliver a speech about African Union Peace and Security Council, where discussions will focus on current security challenges on the continent, including the escalation of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The President will also participate in meetings on health financing, establishing an Africa Credit Rating Agency, and climate change.
Among the wins was the re-election of Amb. Bankole Adeoye as African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
Nigeria also retains its seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council, reaffirming, in the words of Tuggar, “Nigeria’s leadership and commitment to peace and security on the continent.”
At the briefing were Mr Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance; Abubakar Badaru, Minister of Defence; Jumoke Oduwole, the Minister of Trade and Investment; Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Muhammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation.
Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Minister of Environment and Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of State for Finance,
Amb. Mohammed Mohammed, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, and Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of Naval Staff, also attended the briefing.
9News Nigeria reports that the theme of the sessio was decided on by the Heads of State and Government at the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the union in February 2023 in Addis Ababa.
The AU said in the continuing pursuit of justice and equity, the conversation about reparations has emerged as a critical and transformative dialogue that requires the collective attention and action of Africans and all people of African descent.
The scope of the conversation, the AU said, goes beyond historical injustices and into the current fabric of societies around the world.
