President Muhammadu Buhari will use the opportunity to canvass support for the recharge and restoration of the Lake Chad, as he leads Nigerian delegates to the 71st United Nation General Assembly (UNGA), which will begin at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, September 13.
Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, who said this at the weekend, also explained that the President would be discussing a series of other issues with direct impact on Nigeria.
“There will be a discussion on Lake Chad basin and how to recharge the Lake Chad through the Central Africa, which will cost about $15 billion. Mr President will engage and push for investors on the project. He will be looking at public, private partnership to mobilise that kind of funding for Lake Chad that will have direct impact on at least five million people,” he said.
According to Onyeama, there will also be a discussion on “One Vision, One Africa,” where all African nations could have a voice on issues that have direct impact on the continent.
He stated the EU would be putting €31 billion on the table to address certain issues affecting the Middle East and some parts of Africa, and that Nigeria was the only one invited for the meeting to look into how to spend the money, adding that this would give Nigeria opportunity to access the fund.
The minister stated that the president would among others set the record straight on the issue of human rights violation, and sign the Paris Agreement on climate, which China and United States had already signed.
At the Paris climate conference (COP21) in December 2015, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal.
Currently 175 countries, including the EU have signed on the agreement, while 15 states deposited instruments of ratification.
The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C, and is due to enter into force in the year 2020.
Onyeama said that signing of the agreement by the president would give a signal to the world that Nigeria was serious about the agreement.
He said that the conference was a unique one where President Buhari will have the opportunity to meet with world leaders and build on the nation’s reputation.
“It is one of the unique conferences where world leaders assemble and address issues pre-occupying their minds; it is a wonderful opportunity for the president to build on his reputation,” Onyeama stated.
The minister said that the president would also use the opportunity to look for foreign markets for Nigerian’s products.
The President will also work towards garnering support for the economy, looking for foreign markets for Nigerian products, attracting foreign direct investment.
He said that the president would also use the opportunity to canvass for repatriation of Nigeria’s stolen money stashed in various foreign banks.
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