President to host 2nd regional security summit in Abuja

President Muhammadu will host the second Regional Security Summit in Abuja on Saturday, a statement issued by the Presidential Spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, on Tuesday in Abuja said.

The statement said that the event is in furtherance of ongoing efforts by the Buhari administration to enhance the security of lives, property and investments in Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

It said that President Francois Hollande of France, who hosted the first Regional Security Summit in Paris on May 17, 2014, would participate in the second edition.

According to the statement, Hollande, who is scheduled to arrive in Abuja on Friday on an official visit to Nigeria, will be joined by the Presidents of Cameroon, Niger Republic, Chad and Benin Republic.

Furthermore, it said that the U.S., Britain, Equatorial Guinea, the European Union, ECOWAS Commission, the Economic Community of Central African States and the Gulf of Guinea Commission would also be represented at the summit.

Top on the agenda of the summit, according to the statement, is the successful conclusion of the ongoing military operations against Boko Haram.

It also said that the speedy resolution of the humanitarian crises caused by the barbaric acts of the terrorist group would also feature prominently in the discussions at the summit.

Before proceeding for the summit, Buhari is expected to meet with Hollande and the French delegation at the Presidential Villa on Saturday morning.

It is expected that new agreements on further defence and cultural cooperation between Nigeria and France will be concluded and signed after talks between the two Presidents and their officials.