Newly-inaugurated President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum, was on Monday, ushered into the Presidential Villa by some northern governors, for a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House Abuja.
The governors, according to a report by Whirlwindnews, were Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Abdulahi Ganduje (Kano), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).
Possible areas of discussion between the Nigerien President and President Buhari might centre on how to stem the tide of terrorism.
The governors are from states that share common borders with Niger Republic, which has assumed greater strategic importance with Nigeria since Buhari became President.
The Nigerian government had approved the construction of a rail line from Nigeria to Maradi, one of the key towns in the West African country.
Others at the meeting included the Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Salihi Magashi (retd); Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva; the National Security Adviser NSA Major-General Babagana Monguno (retd); Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
Bazoum was inaugurated as President of Niger Republic on April 2, 2021, after winning the elections held on December 27, 2020 and taking over from his predecessor, Mahamadou Issoufou.
Meanwhile President Buhari has assured that Nigeria will continue to assist its close neighbours in diverse ways as required. He was quoted to have given the assurance at the meeting with the Nigerien President.
- Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s spokesperson , in a statement in Abuja, on Monday, said Buhari gave the assurance when he hosted the newly inaugurated President of Republic of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who was in Nigeria on his first international visit.
The Nigerian leader also assured Bazoum that Nigeria would continue to do all it could to stabilise the West African sub-region, saying that Nigerians and Nigeriens shared similar culture and language.
He said: “We will stabilise our region for the benefit of the two countries.
“Nigerians and Nigeriens are people with similar culture, language and ways of life, and we also share about 1,500 kilometres of land border, so we cannot ignore each other.”
The president congratulated Bazoum on winning the recent presidential election, and his successful inauguration into office.
“You have been in the system for a long time. The only thing is that you had never been President. Now you are one,” he said,
On terrorism, as perpetrated by Boko Haram, Buhari observed that Republic of Niger also suffers high casualties, vowing: “We will do all it takes to secure our two countries.”
Buhari was thankful to the immediate past President, Mahamadou Issoufou, for what he called “his understanding and sacrifices” to help stabilise the region, urging the successor to maintain the institutions his predecessor had established.
Bazoum had earlier said he was delighted to make Nigeria his first port of call, noting that the two countries had common interests, “and, therefore, a good relationship is very important.
On security, he observed that the fact that some Nigerians flee to Niger during terrorist attacks “shows that we need to cooperate, and we will face our challenges together”.
Bazoum, who is on a two-day official visit to Nigeria, would be hosted to a private breaking of fast by Buhari.
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
