PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has arrived in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, to participate in the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government.
The meeting is slated for February 14 – 18, 2025.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement he signed in the early hours of Friday titled ‘President Tinubu arrives Ethiopia for AU summit.’
“The President was received at the airport by the Ethiopian Deputy Chief of Protocol, Eshetu Legesse, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the charge d’affaires of the Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia, Nasir Aminu,” the statement read.
Tuggar later briefed President Tinubu about the summit and some diplomatic wins for the country, a session that stretched until about 2 a.m. on Friday.
Among these was the re-election of Bankole Adeoye as African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
Nigeria also retained its seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council which, in Tuggar’s words, reaffirmed “Nigeria’s leadership and commitment to peace and security on the continent”.
At the briefing were the Ministers of Finance, Mr Wale Edun; Defence, Abubakar Badaru; Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole; Aviation, Festus Keyamo; Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris; Environment, Balarabe Lawal and State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite.
The Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, also attended the briefing.
This year’s AU summit, under the theme ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,’ focuses on reparatory justice and racial healing.
Tinubu will deliver a speech at the Summit-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council, where discussions will focus on current security challenges on the continent, including the escalation of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The President will participate in meetings on health financing, establishing an Africa Credit Rating Agency, and climate change.
“Tinubu will be expected to return to Abuja on Monday, February 17,” the statement concluded.