The President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Tijjani Muhammed-Bande, arrived in Nigeria on Thursday night for a four-day official visit.
Ambassador Muhammed-Bande arrived the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja at 11:45 p.m, and was received by the UN Resident Co-ordinator, Comfort Lamptey, Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Charge d’Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, Samson Itegboje, among others.
Among those who arrived the country with the UNGA President were his Chef de Cabinet Mari Skåre, Senior Adviser Alex Tope, Special Assistant Muyiwa Waheed Onifade, Advisor Emanuel De Jesus Da Costa Tilmann and Communication Adviser Kristina Klein.
Mr. Muhammed-Bande, while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during his first official visit to the country since his inauguration as UNGA President in September, said he was excited to be at home and to learn about the issues relating to the Regional Expert Conference on the Human Rights Situation of Older Persons in Africa.
In his words:
“Well I’m excited to be here and also very keen to learn about issues at home, but basically we are here to discuss issues of ageing in relation to how the life of the aged are advanced”.
When asked how his appointment, as the second Nigerian to be appointed President of the UN General Assembly in 30 years reflects on the nation, Mr. Muhammad-Bande advised that Nigerians continue to do the things that endear them to the international community and make their nation proud.
When speaking on his experience so far as the UNGA President, Mr. Muhammad-Bande attributed his tenure’s good start to the support of his colleagues.
“I’m happy that the support of all colleagues has gotten us to a good start”, he said.
NAN reports that Mr. Muhammad-Bande is in Nigeria to attend a Regional Expert Conference on the Human Rights Situation of Older Persons in Africa as an Inter-sessional Event of the United Nations General Assembly Open-ended Working Group on Ageing.
The conference will hold in Abuja on November 25. Participants for the conference will be drawn across governments, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations, academia, older persons, regional organisations as well as intergovernmental institutions and United Nations organisations.
The conference which is open to global audience will also witness the participation of some non-African member states.
Mr. Muhammad-Bande is also expected to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama, and the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Pauline Tallen.