The president of Nigeria, Major General Muhammadu Buhari announced Thursday that he would be departing for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a condolence visit to the newly elected UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed al-Nahyan. The announcement was made through a statement signed by Mr. Garba Shehu, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.
According to Mr. Shehu, the president would also extend his heartfelt congratulations to the newly elected Sheikh Mohamed and renew the long-time friendship and alliance between the two countries before returning on Saturday. He also noted that the relationship between both governments had been instrumental in tracking down criminals, terrorists, and cells specializing in the movement of illegal assets. The statement also said that the president was hopeful that the two countries’ partnership would wax stronger and bear more fruit under the new leadership.
Accompanying the president on the trip would be the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello; Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada. Also rumored to be part of the delegation to the UAE are the Director-General National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar, and the National Security Adviser, Major General Mohammed Monguno.
