Buhari to host French president in Abuja

President Francois Hollande of France will arrive Nigeria on Friday ahead of a regional security summit scheduled for Abuja on Saturday.

Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, disclosed this in a statement, saying “the summit is in furtherance of ongoing efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to enhance the security of lives, properties and investments in Nigeria and neighbouring countries”.

The statement said Hollande hosted the first regional security summit in Paris in 2014.

“President Buhari and the French President who is scheduled to arrive Abuja on Friday on an official visit to Nigeria will be joined at the summit by the Presidents of Cameroon, Niger Republic, Chad and Benin Republic,” the statement read.

“The United States, Britain, Equatorial Guinea, the European Union, ECOWAS, the Economic Community of Central African States and the Gulf of Guinea Commission will also be represented at the summit which will have the successful conclusion of ongoing military operations against Boko Haram at the top of its agenda.

“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.

“Before proceeding to the summit, President Buhari will receive President Hollande and the French delegation at the Presidential Villa on Saturday morning.

“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.”