President Muhammadu Buhari will meet with the new President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to convey his condolences on the passing of the former President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to a statement by Presidential Spokesman, Garba Shehu, on Thursday, the President, who will depart Abuja on Thursday, will also extend his congratulations to the new President, renewing bonds of the longstanding friendship between Nigeria and the UAE.
The President, in an earlier congratulatory message to the new UAE leader, had reaffirmed Nigeria’s cordial relationship with the country, noting that the cooperation between both governments has helped Nigeria in tracking down illegal assets and tracing terrorist funds.
“Under the new leadership, President Buhari looks forward to a bigger and stronger partnership for peace, stability, and prosperity of both countries,” he said.
President Buhari will be accompanied by the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, Amb. Zubairu Dada, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, and the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika.
Other members of his delegation are the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Monguno (Rtd) and the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
The President is expected back in the country on Saturday.
Khalifa died on May 13 at the age of 73. Abu Dhabi, which holds most of the Gulf state’s oil wealth, has held the presidency since the founding of the UAE federation by Sheikh Khalifa’s father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in 1971.
