Buhari to address UN General Assembly Monday

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday leave Nigeria for New York to attend the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

Mr. Adesina said the president would hold series of meetings and interactions with notable world leaders there.

He said the president would hold deliberations with the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, President Barack Obama of the U.S. and President Francois Hollande of France.

Mr. Adesina said the president would also hold deliberations with Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Vladmir Putin of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister Narenda Modi of India and others.

Mr. Adesina said that the president’s talks with the world leaders would mainly be on domestic developmental issues, bilateral relations, the war against terrorism and countering violent extremism.

He said the president would discuss the enhancement of global security, peace-keeping operations, climate change and the adoption of a post 2015 global development agenda in the meetings.

“President Buhari is also scheduled to address the World Leaders Summit on Violent Extremism to which he was personally invited by Mr Ban Ki Moon during the Secretary-General’s recent visit to Nigeria.’’

President Buhari would also participate in a meeting of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, a High-Level Roundtable on South-South Cooperation organised by President Xi Jinping of China and the United Nations.

Mr. Adesina said that President Buhari would participate in the launching of an updated global health strategy for women and children.

He said President Buhari would meet with former President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain.

Mr. Brown is the UN Special Envoy on Global Education who is one of the main drivers of the Safe Schools Initiative.

He stated that President Buhari would be accompanied by the governors of Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger States, the National Security Adviser and the Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Finance, Health, Industry and Trade and Investment.

Mr. Adesina said the president will deliver Nigeria’s Statement to the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 28.

It stated that the president would conclude his visit to New York on September 29 and return Abuja on the same day.