President Muhammadu Buhari will later in the day depart for Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, to attend a United Nations organised conference on the future of land with focus on desertification, drought, degradation, rights, restoration and implications for national and world economies.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement issued Sunday said Buhari, who is also the President of the Great Green Wall in Africa, will be accompanied on the trip by four ministers.
They are Geoffrey Onyeama (of Foreign Affairs), Mohammed H. Abdullahi (Environment), Mahmoud Mohammed (Agriculture) and Suleiman H. Adamu (Water Resources).
He said the President’s team to Abidjan also included the National Security Adviser, retired Maj. Gen. Mohammed Monguno, Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar and Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri- Erewa
He stated that the President, who will participate in a Summit of Head of States and Government, May 9th-10th, 2022, joins world leaders at Sofitel Hotel, for the 15th session of the Conference Of the parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), with the theme “, ‘Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity.”
According to the statement, “The convention aims to take action to ensure that land, the lifeline on the planet, continues to benefit present and future generations.
“To achieve the visionary objective of land restoration and balance, COP15 will bring together leaders from governments, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders from around the world to drive progress in the future of sustainable management of one of the most precious assets, land.
“The convention will explore links between land and other key development issues, which will be discussed during the high-level segment, including a Heads of States Summit, high-level roundtables and interactive dialogue sessions.
“COP 15 is a key moment in the fight against desertification, land degradation and drought. Accordingly, it will build on the findings of the second edition of the Global Land Outlook and offer a concrete response to the interconnected challenges of land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss as the world steps into the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
“Drought, land restoration, and related enablers such as land rights, gender equality and youth empowerment are among the top items on the Conference agenda.”
