Buhari Visits France Today

President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja for Paris on Monday to begin a three-day official visit to France. The presidential visit was at the instance of President Francois Hollande of France, during which they will discuss security and economic issues, among other things.

President Buhari will be accompanied on the visit by the National Security Adviser, Maj.Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.); the Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Ministries of Defence, Finance, Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, Industry, Trade and Investment as well as the Chief Executives of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council. A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, on Sunday stated that Buhari’s talks with Hollande and other senior French government officials will focus on the further strengthening and consolidation of ongoing bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and France in the areas of defence, security, trade and investments. Apart from his scheduled meeting with the French President at the Elysee Palace on Monday evening, Buhari and his team would also confer with the French Minister of Defence, Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian; the French Minister of Finance and Public Accounts, Mr. Michel Sapin; the French Minister of Economy and Industry, Mr. Emmanuel Macron; and the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Mr. Laurent Fabius. “The President will visit the headquarters of MEDEF, France’s largest federation of investors and employers, where he will participate in a France/Nigeria investment forum with leading Nigerian and French entrepreneurs,” the statement added.

It said that Buhari would also confer with the chief executive officers of leading French multinational companies, such as Total and Lafarge, on their current and future investments in Nigeria. The President’s other scheduled engagements in Paris include a meeting with African ambassadors to France and an interactive session with members of the Nigerian community. He will conclude his visit to France on Wednesday and return to Abuja the same day.

-Punch