By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday left New York, United States where he attended the 72nd United Nations General Assembly meeting for London.
He left the Millennium Hilton Hotel, New York, at exactly 08:07a.m local time.
He was officially accompanied to the airport by the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Prof Tijjani Bande.
Buhari departed the John F Kennedy International Airport at 10:00a.m.
Some of the ministers and aides present to bid the president farewell were the Minister of Foreign Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen Mansur Mohammed Dan-Ali; Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau; Minister of State, Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, amongst others.
The venue of the United Nations Plaza Tower, however, became crowded due to scores of Nigerian officials who were either present to bid the president farewell or catch a glimpse of the President.
Sundiata Post recalls that President Buhari had arrived in New York, on Sunday evening, to participate in the ongoing 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
He delivered Nigeria’s address, on Tuesday, during the General Debate of the General Assembly.
On the margins of the General Assembly, the President met with King Abdullah II of the Kingdom of Jordan and thanked him for the donation of military hardware in support of the fight against terrorism.
The President, with select African leaders, had had lunch with United States President Donald Trump, on Wednesday.
In his address at the UNGA, Buhari pledged Nigeria’s solidarity to the United Nations and solicited the support of the international community in tackling global challenges.
He Continued: “Our faith in democracy remains firm and unshaken. Our regional organisation ECOWAS came together to uphold democratic principles in The Gambia – as we had done previously in Cote D’Ivoire.
“Through our individual national efforts, state institutions are being strengthened to promote accountability, and to combat corruption and asset recovery. These can only be achieved through the international community cooperating and providing critical assistance and material support. We shall also cooperate in addressing the growing transnational crimes such as forced labour, modern-day slavery, human trafficking, and cybercrime”.
banker of the day - FREE banker tips from experts