Jonathan Heads To Niamey; To meet Neighbouring Leaders Over Boko Haram

President Goodluck Jonathan will on Tuesday undertake a one-day official visit to Niamey, capital of Niger Republic, to participate in an Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

In a statement, the Presidential Spokesperson, Reuben Abati, said President Jonathan and other participating Heads of State and Government are expected to review the ongoing collaboration against terrorism and agree on further joint actions to curb terrorism and insurgency within and across their national boundaries.

President Jonathan and the Heads of State and Government of the neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin Republic resolved at a meeting in Paris in May this year to intensify efforts to curtail terrorism and violent extremism.

At the Paris Summit which was hosted by President Francois Hollande of France in the aftermath of the dastardly abduction of the Chibok College girls, President Jonathan and the other leaders also agreed to establish joint anti-terrorism patrols and a system of sharing intelligence to support operations against terrorists and other cross-border criminals.

The leaders also agreed to create a dedicated team to draw up advise for the implementation of a regional counter-terrorism strategy under the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

Benin Republic, not a member of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, but which participated in the Paris Summit was also invited to the Niamey talks.

The Lake Chad Basin Commission was established in 1964 by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon. It has the mandate of sustainably and equitably managing shared water resources of the Lake Chad Basin and promoting regional integration, peace and security across the Basin.

President Jonathan, who will be accompanied to Niamey by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, the Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, the Chief Of Defence State, Air Chief Marshall Alex Barde and other senior government officials, will return to Abuja at the conclusion of the one-day summit.

  - Premium Times