Senator Ita Enang on Wednesday said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s integrity and service to humanity had boosted Nigeria’s rating in the comity of nations.
Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), said this when representatives of African Union Economic, Social, and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC) paid him a visit in Abuja.
He said the president’s personal credentials, discipline, and commitment to the welfare of the country had won not just the confidence of African countries but the world at large.
According to him, this is evident in some international positions given to Nigerians since the president assumed office.
He said: “This is evident in the fact that, when it is not the time for Nigeria to chair ECOWAS, President Muhammadu Buhari is given the opportunity to chair ECOWAS.
“So he will not, attaining this, allow a situation where Nigeria does not benefit from that system.
“I am sure you know Nigeria has a good product in Amina Mohammed, former Minister of Environment.
“By the instrumentality of marketing by Mr President, she is now the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, a feat that a Nigerian may not have achieved in the past.
“It is, therefore, correct to say that President Muhammadu Buhari is interested in making Nigerians not just to be champions but also.good citizens across the world.
“Adesina is also supported and sponsored by the government under this administration to become the President, African Development Bank.
“The president does this to make sure that the capacity of Nigeria and Nigerians and the benefits that go with it are made available to Nigerians.”
The presidential aide commended the role played by AU-ECOSOCC in correcting wrong perception about Nigeria.
He said: “I commend your effort in making sure that when there was a wrong insinuation by Amnesty International, that the Nigerian Military was acting in a manner that was unprofessional, you brought your voice to bear.
“Your intervention helped the international institutions to understand their role in such situation.”
Enang called on the council to draw the attention of government to any act by anybody, including those in government, aimed at jeopardising government’s efforts at ensuring credible elections.
According to him, this is necessary to protect the president’s image, adding that the president had a principle and philosophy of doing the right thing.
The Leader of the delegation, Dr Tunji Asaolu, said the council’s core mandate was to ensure that all programmes and policies of the African Union were domesticated in member states.
According to Asaolu, who is Nigerian Representative in the AU, said the council is the parliament of civil societies, adfing that it has been in Nigeria since 2014.
He said: “Our mandate is to promote and form strong partnership between government and civil societies.
“We want to be instituted into the government structure so that we can be the umbrella under which other civil society organisations belong.”
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