•Departs Abuja for London
Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has solicited the help of the international community in mitigating the effect of climate change in Nigeria.
The president disclosed this after he received Letters of Credence from three envoys to Nigeria, yesterday.
Buhari met them, separately, before he left Nigeria, at 3:20pm, for London, to see his doctors.
He received Letters of Credence from the Ambassador-designate of the Netherlands, High Commissioner-designate of the Republic of Botswana and the Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Guinea Bissau.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the president reiterated the need for sustained financial, technical and capacity building support from the international community to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in the country.
He told the Netherlands ambassador, Robert Jan Petri, at the Letter of Credence ceremony that Nigeria will continue to vigorously pursue replenishment of the Lake Chad Basin, which has dried up to 10 percent of its original size.
“With the population growth in Nigeria and the drying up of the Lake Chad, we have to move faster and adapt to the impacts of climate change through technological solutions,” he said.
The president told Petri that following Nigeria’s active participation in UN-organised Climate Change conferences in 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Nigerian government successfully hosted a high-level international conference on Lake Chad in February 2018.
He noted that the high-level conference provided an opportunity to push further options to restore Lake Chad, including the inter-basin water transfer project from Ubangi River, in Central Africa, to the Lake.
On agriculture, Buhari welcomed interests by some Nigerian doctoral students studying in the Netherlands on developing the sector through research and innovation, particularly the livestock sector.
In separate remarks, while receiving the Letter of Credence from the High Commissioner of the Republic of Botswana, Pule Mphothwe, Buhari commended the southern African country for its consistent support of Nigeria in the international fora.
Recounting Nigeria’s leadership role in the liberation of African countries from colonial domination, Buhari said: “It is a national duty to support our African brothers in their time of need.”
He also received Letter of Credence from Houssam Diab, ambassador of Lebanon, and commended the country for successful parliamentary election, commitment to stability and security in the Middle East, as well as assistance to Syrian refugees.
In their separate remarks, the envoys highlighted the existing and cordial relations between Nigeria and their countries, and called for increased trade and economic cooperation.
Buhari was seen off at Abuja airport by his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, among other presidential aides.