Abuja – President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to do his best to ensure that the peace agreement signed by the various political factions in South Sudan was successfully implemented.
Buhari spoke on Thursday in Abuja at an audience with South Sudan’s First Vice President, Dr Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon,
A statement issued by Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, said Buhari promised to work with other members of the African Union High-Level Consultative Committee on South Sudan to realise this noble objective.
He assured that Nigeria and the Committee would work with all stakeholders to overcome problems hindering the implementation of the seven-month old agreement.
“The situation must not deteriorate,’’ the President told the First Vice President who is a signatory to the peace agreement.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
While expressing concern that compliance with the agreed ceasefire in South Sudan has not been total, President Buhari said that Nigeria would work in collaboration with other members of the African Union to achieve a speedy stabilisation of the situation.
The President advised leaders of South Sudan not to allow ethnicity and corruption to gain a foothold in the new country.
“Ethnicity and corruption are a lethal combination. You have to deal with them otherwise instability will continue,’’ he further warned.
The statement said Riek Machar had earlier briefed President Buhari on the current state of affairs in South Sudan.
According to the statement, President Buhari also received a Special Envoy of the African Union Chairman, President Idris Deby-Itno.
The Envoy, Mr Abubakar Chahaimi, delivered a message from President Deby-Itno to President Buhari on the strengthening of bilateral relations between Nigeria and Chad, as well as the work of the African Union Consultative Committee on South Sudan. (NAN)