Buhari calls for stability in Lake Chad Basin
President Muhammadu Buhari has called for more stability in the Lake Chad Basin areas as that will hold serious implications for countries around the area including Nigeria.
Buhari said this on Wednesday while playing host to the Chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, His Excellency, Mohammed Younis Menfi, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
In a statement issued by Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, Buhari stressed that the security of Nigeria was the number one priority to him, adding that “unless a country or institution is secured, there’s no way you can efficiently manage it.”
“Republics of Chad, and Niger, have extensive borders with Libya, and they are our immediate neighbours,” the statement reads.
“Whatever affects them affects us. The stability or instability of Libya will directly affect us,” the statement added.
Buhari who expressed happiness said he was happy that Menfi could personally attend the Summit of Lake Chad Basin Commission held in Abuja on Tuesday, to discuss the situation in Chad and the implications for security in neighbouring countries, said with the cooperation between Nigeria and Libya, the fight against insurgency in the Sahel region and indeed Africa will be won.
Responding, Menfi said Libya was fast-evolving with an active government on ground.
“Libya is evolving fast and we now have one government, active on the ground. We are expelling the mercenaries, and unifying the instructions.
“We aspire for joint cooperation, and reactivation of previous agreements,” Menfi said.
He added that democratic elections would be held in due course and hoped the historical relationship between his country and Nigeria in the areas of oil and agriculture meant that one country would continue to grow.