Buhari returns to Abuja after 4 days official trip to Turkey

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, October 22 returned to Abuja after a successful four-day working visit to Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president’s official aircraft which took off from Ataturk airport, Istanbul at about 12 p.m (Turkish time) local time, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 4.05p.m.

Buhari, accompanied by his wife, Aisha, was received at the airport by senior government officials, including his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Mohammad Bello and other presidential aides.

While in Ankara, Buhari was hosted by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyeb Erdogan for “a fairly long one-on-one meeting’’, on Thursday, October 19, before the bilateral meeting that involved their ministers and members of their delegations.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, October 22 by the President’s Spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said the outing was Buhari’s first visit to Turkey since his election in 2015, but the second meeting with Erdogan who as prime minister visited Abuja in March, 2016
.

He said that Buhari’s objective during both visits focused on issues of security and anti-terrorism; agricultural cooperation and trade cooperation.

Others were education and health; transport and connectivity; energy sector cooperation and increased private sector participation.

Shehu noted that the visit had achieved quite a lot on the stated objectives.

Buhari, who participated in the 9th D-8 Summit in Istanbul on Oct. 20, also held bilateral meetings with some member-countries.“The meetings have also helped to enhance momentum in ties between Nigeria and the rest of the `D-8’ member-countries and the establishment of a positive working relationship, especially between Buhari and Erdogan,’’ Shehu said.

Those on Buhari's entourage included the minister of interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), the Comptroller-General of NCS, Colonel Hami Ali (rtd) and the Attorney-General and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Others on the president’s entourage included the ministers of foreign affairs, Geoffery Onyeama; defence, Brig-General Mansur Dan Ali (rtd); education, Adamu Adamu and industry, trade and investment Okechukwu Enelamah.

The National Security Adviser, retired Maj-General Babagana Munguno (NSA), the acting Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambssador Arab Yadam and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Turkey, Ilyas Sulaiman Paragalda also accompanied Buhari to the occasion. (NAN)