30th AU Summit: Buhari Departs Nigeria For Addis Ababa

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, January 26, departed Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to participate at the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).

It is understood that the President left the Presidential Villa in Abuja via the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport for Addis Ababa few hours after observing the weekly Friday Juma’at prayer.

Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, had on January 25, in a statement, disclosed that the highlight of the President’s engagements during the visit would be his statements under the historic theme for the AU Summit, namely: “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.”

“This is the first time in the 54-year history of the AU that anti-corruption will be made a theme of the gathering of the regional leaders,’’ the statement said.

On July 4, 2017, African leaders unanimously endorsed President Buhari to champion the fight against corruption on the continent. The endorsement, which took place during the 29th Session of the AU, was in recognition of his personal commitment and acclaimed anti-graft drive at the domestic level.

On July 25, 2017, the President, in a letter to President Alpha Conde of Guinea, who is also the out-going AU Chairperson, formally accepted his nomination to lead members of the AU on this crucial crusade against a veritable socio-economic vice that is anti-development.

While thanking his colleagues for the honour, Buhari reiterated his “commitment to contribute towards our collective efforts to strengthen good governance and development on the continent.’’