Akpabio, four governors in Buhari’s delegation to China

Godswill Akpabio is among the four senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who will accompany President Muhammadu Buhari to China on Friday.

Nine ministers and four state governors all elected on the platform of the APC are also among top government officials that will be on the President’s entourage.

According to a statement by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, the president would depart Abuja for China to participate in the 7th summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation scheduled to hold from September 3 to 4 in Beijing.

Shehu said Buhari’s first engagement in Beijing would be an interactive session with the Nigerian community in China.

Before the formal opening of the FOCAC Summit, he said the president in his capacity as current chair of ECOWAS, would deliver remarks at the high-level dialogue between Chinese and African leaders, business representatives and African entrepreneurs.

He added that the Nigerian president is scheduled to join President Jinping and other African leaders for the opening and roundtable sessions of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit with the theme “Towards an even Stronger China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.

“After the FOCAC Summit, President Buhari will hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang to discuss infrastructure financing for strategic projects in Nigeria and the upgrading of Nigeria-China relations “from strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership,” the statement read

“The President will also use the occasion of his audience with the Chinese leadership to assess the progress made so far in Chinese interventions in Nigeria’s key priority infrastructure projects, particularly on-going projects in the railway and power sectors.

“It is noteworthy that since the last FOCAC VI Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in December 2015 – the first attended by the Nigerian leader – and his successful State visit to China in April 2016, the current administration has pushed forward practical cooperation with China in the areas of infrastructure construction, trade, investments, finance, power, agriculture, education cooperation, among others.”

Also on the president’s entourage are the governors of Bauchi, Lagos, Jigawa and Imo states respectively.

Other senators on the entourage are Abdullahi Adamu, George Akume and Aliyu Wamakko representing Nasarawa, Benue, Akwa Ibom and Sokoto states respectively.

Also accompanying the president are nine ministers Geoffrey Onyeama (foreign affairs), Rotimi (transportation), Babatunde Fashola (power, works and housing), Muhammad Bello (FCT), Okechukwu Enelamah  )industry, trade and investment), Udoma Udo Udoma, (budget and national planning), Suleiman Adamu (water resources), Ibe Kachikwu (state, petroleum resources), and Hadi Sirika (state for aviation).