President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday called for unity among members of the international community to defeat terrorism, corruption, Covid-19 and other challenges confronting the world.
The president, while receiving letters of credence from new ambassadors of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Argentina said the second wave of Covid-19 came with more challenges than from the initial outbreak.
Buhari, on another occasion also Thursday, warned Nigerians against promoting ethnic and religious prejudices so that the nation could witness rapid development.
In a statement by his media adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, the president said: “We have common challenges that impact so much on our countries, which include terrorism, insurgency, climate change, population explosion, human trafficking, corruption, poverty and proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
“On top of all these, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has come with different strains that pose an additional challenge to the initial outbreak. These challenges underscore the need for the international community to work even more in concert to collectively identify appropriate ways and means to globally resolve these challenges.”
Buhari also expressed his admiration for the cooperation that Nigeria and the other three countries have enjoyed in other fora.
“All three countries represented here enjoy excellent multilateral relations with us. In addition to the United Nations, the largest multilateral umbrella platform, we are also members of the G-77 and the South-South Cooperation, which Nigeria, Argentina, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have used to advance our collective interests and causes.
“Nigeria is proud to be associated with these platforms, for they have enabled us to work closely together with the principal representatives of these countries,” he said.
The president told the ambassadors about the readiness of Nigeria to work with them to achieve global peace, food security and a sustainable environment.
While wishing the envoys a successful tenure, Buhari urged them to improve on the relationship between their respective countries and Nigeria.
He said: “On behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, I urge you, in the course of your duties in Nigeria, to build on the successes of your predecessors and enhance the existing fraternal relations between our countries.”
Responding on behalf of others, the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Nigeria, Ambassador Ihab Moustafa, thanked the president for receiving them and accepting their letters of credence.
He assured him of their commitment to work his government to further enhance and strengthen their countries’ friendship and partnership with Nigeria.
“We will count on your kind support and guidance to this end,” he told the president.
Besides Moustafa, other ambassadors who presented their letters of credence are Mr Faisal Ebraheem Alajrafi Alghamdi from the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Mr Alejandro Miguel Francisco Herrero from the Republic of Argentina.
Deji Elumoye, Obinna Chima
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