- The president was received at the airport by Eshetu Legesse, the Ethiopian Deputy Chief of Protocol among others
President Bola Tinubu arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Thursday night to participate in the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government.
The president was received at the airport by Eshetu Legesse, the Ethiopian Deputy Chief of Protocol; Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Amb. Nasir Aminu, the charge d’affaires of the Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia.
Tuggar later briefed President Tinubu about the summit and some diplomatic wins for the country, a session that stretched until about 2 a.m. on Friday, Mr Bayo Onanuga, his spokesman, said in a statement.
Among the wins was the re-election of Amb. Bankole Adeoye as African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
Nigeria also retains its seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council, reaffirming, in the words of Tuggar, “Nigeria’s leadership and commitment to peace and security on the continent.”
At the briefing were Mr Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance; Abubakar Badaru, Minister of Defence; Jumoke Oduwole, the Minister of Trade and Investment; Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation; and Muhammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation.
Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Minister of Environment; Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of State for Finance; Amb. Mohammed Mohammed, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency; and Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of Naval Staff, also attended the briefing.
This year’s AU summit, under the theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” focuses on reparatory justice and racial healing.
President Tinubu will deliver a speech at the summit-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council, where discussions will focus on current security challenges on the continent, including the escalation of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The president will participate in meetings on health financing, establishing an Africa Credit Rating Agency, and climate change.
President Tinubu will return to Abuja on Monday.
NAN reports that the theme of the session was decided on by the Heads of State and Government at the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in February 2023 in Addis Ababa.
The AU said in the continuing pursuit of justice and equity, the conversation about reparations has emerged as a critical and transformative dialogue that requires the collective attention and action of Africans and all people of African descent.
The scope of the conversation, the AU said, goes beyond historical injustices and into the current fabric of societies around the world.
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