Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari will on Saturday host the French President Francois Hollande alongside Cameroon’s Paul Biya, Chad’s Idriss Déby, Benin’s Patrice Talon and Niger’s Mahamadou Issoufou for a regional Security Summit in Abuja.
Also expected to be in attendance are representatives of the United States, Britain, Equitorial Guinea, the European Union, ECOWAS, the Economic Community of Central African States and the Gulf of Guinea Commission.
The security summit will lead essentially to the successful conclusion of ongoing military operations against Boko Haram in the north east of Nigeria and the lake Chad basin.
French President Hollande and hosted the first Regional Security Summit in Paris on May 17 2014.
A statement by the presidential media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina on Tuesday said that “The speedy resolution of the humanitarian crises caused by the barbaric atrocities of the terrorist group will also feature prominently on the summit’s agenda.”
The statement also added that, “It is expected that new agreements on further defence and cultural cooperation between Nigeria and France will be concluded and signed after talks between the two Presidents and their officials.”
Nigeria and West Africa have been dogged by constant terrorist threats from Islamist militia group Boko Haram that has killed thousands and displaced millions.
Buhari in his campaign trail pledged to crush the terror group once he got to office. He has since maintained his stand, vowing to wipe the group out completely.
