Buhari heads to France for peace forum

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Abuja on Friday for Paris, France, to participate in the first edition of the Paris Peace Forum.

“President Muhammadu Buhari departs Abuja Friday for Paris, France to participate in the first edition of the Paris Peace Forum, November 11-13, 2018,” Buhari’s spokesman Femi Adesina said in a statement on Friday.

“The Nigerian President will join the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres and other world leaders in discussing contributions towards global peace while underscoring the imperative of collective action,” he added.

The President will be accompanied to Paris by three state governors Aminu Masari, Willie Obiano and Kayode Fayemi of Katsina, Anambra and Ekiti states, respectively, among others.

Adesina further stated the forum which was organised by the French government and a number of non-governmental organisations is based on the “simple idea that international cooperation is key to tackling global challenges and ensuring durable peace.”

Buhari will also join the United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, and other world leaders in discussing contributions towards global peace while underscoring the imperative of collective action.

“While in Paris, President Buhari will also join other world leaders to commemorate the centenary anniversary of the Armistice signed on November 11, 1918 between the Allied Forces and Germany in the forest of Compiegne in France to end the First World War,” Adesina said.

“Before returning to Abuja, the President and his delegation will have an interactive session with the Nigerian community in France,” he noted.

The Paris Peace Forum will be centred on five themes: peace and security, the environment, development, digital and new technologies and the inclusive economy.