President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari has travelled from Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, where he was a participant in the Third Forum of the African Conference for Peace, to Abuja.
His first overseas journey in 2023 came to an end when Buhari’s Leonardo AW139 helicopter from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport arrived at Aso Rock Villa a few minutes before 4:00 pm.
President of Mauritania disclosed that since 2015, his government has spent more over $1 billion to retake Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe from Boko Haram control.
But he regretted that the security of Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin remained precarious because of the ongoing wars in Libya, the Central African Republic, and Ukraine.
Buhari’s claim was based on the widespread use of “all kinds of small and light weaponry” that were facilitated by foreign combatants.
Additionally, he made the case that the inactivity of young people in Africa and their exclusion from discussions of issues that affect them serve as a consistent source of new recruits for the extremist groups wreaking havoc across the continent.
He therefore advised African leaders to prioritise youth development, taking it more seriously and coming up with concrete suggestions for encouraging skill acquisition while discouraging laziness.
President Buhari also received the “Award for Strengthening Peace in Africa” conferred upon him by the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum at the conference.