President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to participate in the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government.
The President, who arrived on Thursday night, was received at the airport by the Ethiopian deputy chief of protocol, Eshetu Legesse, the Nigerian minister of foreign affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and the charge d’affaires of the Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia, Ambassador Nasir Aminu.
Ambassador Tuggar later briefed President Tinubu about the summit and some diplomatic wins for the country, a session that stretched until about 2 a.m. on Friday.
Among the wins was the re-election of Ambassador Bankole Adeoye as African Union commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security. Nigeria also retains its seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council, reaffirming, in the words of Ambassador Tuggar, “Nigeria’s leadership and commitment to peace and security on the continent”.
At the briefing were Wale Edun, the minister of finance; Abubakar Badaru, the minister of defence; Jumoke Oduwole, the minister of trade and investment; Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation; Muhammed Idris, the minister of information and national orientation; Balarabe Abbas Lawal, the minister of the environment; and Doris Uzoka-Anite, the minister of state for finance.
This year’s AU Summit, under the theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” focuses on reparatory justice and racial healing.
President Tinubu will deliver a speech at the summit-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council, where discussions will focus on current security challenges on the continent, including the escalation of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Tinubu is scheduled to return to Abuja on Monday, February 17.
