Buhari leaves for Turkey — after presiding over FEC meeting

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday presided over the meeting of federal executive council (FEC) in the presidential villa, Abuja.

The FEC meeting which started at about 10am, was attended by the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Habiba Lawal, acting secretary to the government of the federation and cabinet ministers.

The president was scheduled to leave Abuja for Turkey immediately after the council’s meeting.

Femi Adesina, the president’s special adviser on media and publicity, said he would participate in the ninth D-8 Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 20.

Adesina said prior to the summit, Buhari, at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, would be on working visit to Ankara, the Turkish capital.

He said the President would during the visit have a private discussion with his Turkish counterpart, while delegations from both countries would hold discussions in various fields including defence cooperation, security, educational and migration issues.

According to the presidential aide, the Nigerian leader will also visit the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey in Ankara, where he will meet with the Turkish speaker, Ismail Kahraman.

Adesina said Buhari would also use the occasion to bolster warm and growing ties across broad range of areas of cooperation with leaders of the D8-member countries.

The D8-member countries include Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.