President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to depart Abuja on Thursday for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU).
His Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, also said Buhari will participate in three high-level meetings at while he is in Addis Ababa.
The statement, which revealed the theme of the Summit to be “Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation,” also explained Buhari would be attending an extraordinary summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS on the sidelines of the Summit.
“The President will participate in three High Level meetings on peace and security, climate change and the political situation in some West African countries.
“First is the Peace and Security Council (PSC) meeting of Heads of State and Government on the situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (AUPSC High Level AU), to be chaired by the President of South Africa, in his capacity as the Chair of the Council for the month of February.
“Second is the meeting of the Committee of the Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), currently chaired by the President of Niger Republic.
“On the margins of the annual meetings of the AU, President Buhari will also attend an extraordinary summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.
“The Nigerian leader will deliver remarks at these events as well as present his National Statement at the opening session of the Summit, which brings together leaders from the AU member countries as well as a number of non-AU countries and international institutions accredited to the AU in Addis Ababa,” the statement reads
The President, who would be accompanied on the trip by some Ministers and other top government officials, will return to Nigeria on Monday, February 20.
Buhari’s trip to Addis Ababa is coming at a time when the nation is in tension over scarcity of the naira.
There have been series of protests across the country over the lack of banknotes for millions of citizens across the country.