Posted on: 10:31 Sat, 10 Sep 2016



President Muhammadu Buhari will next week lead the Federal Government delegation to New York, the United States, where he will address the 71st regular session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, 2016.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who stated this on Friday in Abuja, explained that the President would use the opportunity to build on his relationship with other world leaders and demand the recovery of looted funds stashed away in foreign countries.

According to him, the Federal Government will canvass the election of an Afro-centric UN Secretary-General, who will be pro-developing countries.

He stated that Buhari would also push for the candidature of Nigerians into various international agencies which he said had influence on UN policy and programmes globally.

Onyeama said it was absolutely important that Nigeria engaged in multilateral relations, noting that it had candidates for positions in International Civil Aviation Authority and the United Nations Human Rights Council.

He said the President would also engage the world leaders and seek their support in the areas of security, anti-corruption, governance and the economy where Nigeria is currently facing challenges.

The minister said, “It is an opportunity for the President to push for the reform of the UN, a UN that is more inclusive of more countries.

It is another opportunity to engage world leaders and push for recovery of illicit and looted funds, address poverty, refugee issues and irregular migrants; this is an issue that is affecting our relationship with European countries.” Buhari, the minister added, would also sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change which the United States and China, had earlier signed.

Onyeama added that during the trip, the President would also lead his delegation to the US-Africa Business Forum, where Nigeria would be the focus.

He said, “There will also be a high-level meeting on the humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad region, the President is keen on addressing the problem of the Lake Chad which would cost $15bn and we would need to mobilize funding for the project.”