Buhari Heads To Burkina Faso For ECOWAS Summit

President Buhari will depart Abuja on Saturday to attend the one-day ECOWAS Heads of State and Government Extraordinary Summit on Counter-Terrorism, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

Given the growing threat of terrorism in the sub-region, the West African leaders had called for the Summit to review different initiatives taken so far, and redefine the priority intervention areas for the containment of the worrisome attacks in the area.

The presidential aide revealed that the decision to convene the Summit was reached at the 55th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja on June 29, 2019.

According to him, Buhari recognises the imperative of collective actions in the fight against terrorism and will continue to partner with ECOWAS member states and international organisations to address the menace.

“In Ouagadougou, ECOWAS leaders are expected to adopt a priority action plan on counter-terrorism and put in place a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the measures adopted towards ensuring lasting peace in the sub-region,’’ he said.

The President would be accompanied by Governors Abubakar Bello of Niger, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia.

Other members on the entourage include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, the National Security Adviser, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno and Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Abubakar. (NAN)