Nigeria President Buhari leaves for 3-week Nairobi, London trip
Tuesday March 01 2022
Nigerian President Buhari waves from his plane as it prepares to depart Abuja on a previous trip. FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari departed from Abuja on Tuesday for Kenya to participate in the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and to mark the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) 50th anniversary.
The UNEA, which kicked off on Monday, will, among other issues, discuss climate change, biodiversity and nature loss, as well as waste and pollution management.
President Buhari, 78, will be in Nairobi for four days before departing for London for a medical checkup.
His spokesman Femi Adesina said the Kenyan visit is a sequel to an invitation extended to him by his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta.
The biannual UNEA will mark the fifth session since the first Environmental Assembly that was held in Nairobi in 2014.
The theme for this year is “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”
That of the special session for Unep is “Strengthening UNEP for the Implementation of the Environmental Dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
According to Mr Adesina, President Buhari is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement on environmental matters and participate in high-level dialogue sessions.
He is accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of State for the Environment Sharon Ikeazor, and National Security Advisor Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno.
Others on the trip include National Intelligence Agency director-general Ahmed Rufai, and the chief executive officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
Mr Adesina said the President would from Kenya proceed to London for “routine medical checks that will last for a maximum of two weeks.”