Buhari Misses Meeting On Boko Haram At The UN, Gives An Explanation

Contrary to the erroneous impression that may have been created by
reports that the Nigerian delegation to the 70th Session of the United
Nations General Assembly missed a meeting on help for displaced
persons, President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration remain
fully committed to the rehabilitation and well-being of all persons
who have been displaced or adversely affected by the Boko Haram
insurgency.

Indeed, the war against terrorism, improved security across Nigeria
and additional measures to give succour to internally displaced
persons have been central to discussions President Buhari has had
with other world leaders since his arrival in New York on Thursday
night.

The issues were dominant in the President's conversations on Friday
with Chancellor Angela Merkel, the King of Spain, His Majesty Don
Felipe VI and former Prime-minister Gordon Brown who came with former
President Olusegun Obasanjo to discuss the actualization of the safe
schools initiative, which is of special interest in parts of Nigeria
most vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

President Buhari is handling his duty as leader of the Nigerian
delegation to this year's General Assembly with the greatest possible
diligence and will certainly not tolerate any tardiness on the part
of the delegation in seizing every possible opportunity to advance
Nigeria's interests.

This notwithstanding, it must be realized that it will be near
impossible for any national delegation, no matter its size, to
participate in all the meetings that are simultaneously happening
in and around the General Assembly in New York.

The meeting at which Nigeria was reportedly absent was not one the
official events of the United Nations for which President Muhammadu
Buhari and his modest delegation are in New York.

While the meeting referred to in media reports is commendable, it was
not the only one or the most important of such meetings in New York
that are paying attention to the problem of insecurity, migration and
violent extremism in the Lake Chad area and the rest of the world.

Nigeria was represented earlier today at an important side event
devoted to the North-East called by the UN Population Fund, UNFPA on
"Building Stability and Resilience in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin
Countries."

President Buhari fully conscious of his responsibility to Nigeria and
will accept nothing short of the best for Nigerians in the meetings
taking place in and around the United Nations.

Anyone trying to create an impression of dereliction of duty, based on
the Nigerian delegation's absence at an unofficial meeting, is only
being mischievous and uncharitable.

Garba Shehu

SSA to the President
(Media & Publicity)

September 26, 2015