Buhari & Entourage Jet Out to Abu Dhabi

President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Abuja Today for a condolence visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Buhari will meet with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the new President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to express his condolences on the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the previous President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday.

According to a presidential aide, the Nigerian leader would also express his congratulations to the new President, renewing relations between Nigeria and the UAE.

The president, in an earlier congratulatory message to the new UAE leader, had reaffirmed Nigeria’s cordial relationship with the country.

He noted that the cooperation between both governments has helped Nigeria in tracking down illegal assets and tracing terrorist funds.

According to Mr Buhari, under the new leadership, he looks forward to a bigger and stronger partnership for peace, stability and prosperity of both countries.

The president will be accompanied by the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada; the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello; and the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

Other members of his delegation are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno and the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai.

The President is expected back in the country on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Khalifa died on May 13 at the age of 73.

He was president of the UAE, since 2004.

Abu Dhabi, which holds most of the Gulf state’s oil wealth, has held the presidency since the founding of the UAE federation by Sheikh Khalifa’s father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in 1971.

Source: premiumtimesng.com