Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
A delegation from President Muhammadu Buhari led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, will witness Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, assume office as the President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The Federal Government has expressed hope that the UNGA under Muhammad-Bande will play a role in bridging the gaps and promoting collective action in addressing all international issues that deserve attention, in close coordination and collaboration with the Secretary-General, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council.
The ceremonies will take place at the UN New York headquarters on September 16th and 17th, ahead of the High-Level week of the UNGA when leaders of countries around the world take turns to address the General Assembly.
Others in the presidential delegation are the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar and the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
According to Shehu in a statement, Muhammad-Bande’s assumption raises great hopes for the actualisation of the major priorities of Nigeria and the African continent
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN was elected President of the 74th session of the General Assembly by acclamation on Tuesday, June 4, to serve the one-year role with a strong mandate from his home government, which nominated him, endorsed by the Group of African States and adopted unanimously by the member-states.
“The Muhammad-Bande presidency, coming 30 years after this country’s first, presents Nigeria and Africa a unique opportunity to ensure the implementation of the existing mandates for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with particular focus on peace and security, poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education, climate action and inclusion,” the statement reads.