President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Abuja on Thursday to attend the Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The 14th session of the Summit Conference of the OIC, scheduled to hold on Friday, will be hosted by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and attended by Heads of State and Governments of Member States.
According to the OIC secretariat, the summit, to be convened with the theme: “Makkah al-Mukarramah Summit: Hand in Hand toward the Future,” seeks to develop a unified stance on events in the Islamic world.
President Buhari is expected to address the forum and underscore the need for member countries to unite and work together to combat common challenges such as terrorism and violent extremism.
Buhari will also push forward themes that have been at the forefront of his domestic and international priorities, including reviving the Lake Chad Basin, investing in Nigeria to create jobs and financing for development.
On the margins of the summit, the Nigerian leader will hold bilateral meetings with world leaders to promote increased cooperation and collaboration on issues of mutual concern.
President Buhari, who is expected to return to the country on June 2, will be accompanied by Governors Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State and Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State.
Also on the delegation are the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mustapha Suleiman; Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar; Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami; and the Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Abdullahi Mukthar.
Ahead of the Summit was a preparatory meeting in Jeddah meant to adopt the draft agenda and work programme for the Summit.
On the agenda were the question of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict; combating terrorism and violent extremism; the humanitarian situation in the Muslim world; and promotion of scientific cooperation, among others.
President Buhari becomes the third Nigerian leader to attend the OIC conference in person after the late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
Nigeria joined the OIC in 1986 and has held various positions in the Organisation, including that of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission Commissioner, occupied by Ambassador M.L. Sulaiman, who was elected in 2017
In 2009, Ambassador Opeloyeru Hameed was elected Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs and later re-elected.
The OIC has funded some projects and rendered assistance in Nigeria, including that for training and guidelines on Sukuk issuance in 2018; and in 2018, the Islamic Development Bank, through the Presidential Committee for the North East Initiative, provided relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States;
In August 2016, the Islamic Development Bank Group formally opened its Nigeria Country Gateway Office in Abuja with a mission to focus its services on health, agriculture, infrastructure, small and medium-scale enterprises and regional integration.
Dr. Mansur Mukhtar, former Minister of Finance, is now serving as the Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank.
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