Before now, previous Nigerian presidents like Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, did not have the opportunity to be among early speakers. They either addressed the Sessions second or third week after the events had commenced.
During the 2009 Session of the General Assembly, the then president, late Umaru Yar’Adua could not make it to New York owing to his failing health situation, and the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, who led the Nigerian delegation to the event was not listed to address the Session until all presidents and Heads of governments had spoken. That was almost the last day of that year’s Session.
But this year’s event, the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, seems to be different as the world body has listed President Mohammadu Buhari to be among the speakers that will address the Session on the opening day of the general debate, Monday 28th September, 2015.
This arrangement has made it possible for a Nigerian president to address the General Assembly on the same day with a United States president and other powerful countries for the first time.
While the United States president, Senator Barrack Obama, will address the General Assembly on Monday at 9 AM (US time), President Mohammadu Buhari who will arrive New York with his delegation tomorrow will speak at 3PM (US time).
Apart from Obama and Buhari, other countries which presidents and heads of governments will speak on Monday include Brazil, Poland, China, Russian Federation, Republic of Korea, Iran, France, Qatar, Mozambique, Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Portugal, Denmark and Ethiopia.
Others are Uganda, Chile, Cuba, South Africa, Morocco, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Belarus, Gabon, Paraguay, Kenya, Turkmenistan, Senegal, Mali, Ecuador, Bolivia, Kiribati and Australia.
PMB, apart from addressing the United Nations General Assembly, will also be speaking about the contributions of Nigeria to the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda. The event tagged: “UN Sustainable Development Summit” will hold between 25 and 27 September.
The Nigerian president will join his US counterpart, Mr. Barrack Obama, UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Malala Yousafzai and other 100 heads of State and Government, to adopt an ambitious, bold and universal sustainable development agenda that is aimed to end poverty and promote prosperity by 2030, while addressing the environment.
He is also billed to attend the 11th Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting together with President of Dangote group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and President of the African Development Bank, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, Mr. Tony Blair, and some others. The meetings are scheduled for 26 to 29 September.
The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) will also be organizing a dinner in honor of President Mohammadu Buhari at the Westin New York Times Square in the evening of September 28, 2015.
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