From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja yesterday for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend the 19th G20 Leaders’ Summit meeting, the Presidency has said.
This year’s meeting, under the theme, ‘Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,’ will see the participants discuss the fight against hunger and poverty; reform of the institution of global governance and; sustainable development and energy transition.
In a statement issued by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Nigerian leader is participating at the request of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the group’s current president and President of Brazil.
The summit, held from today, November 18 to tomorrow 19, will bring together leaders from the world’s top 20 economies, including the European Union, the African Union, and multilateral financial institutions, among others.
According to the statement, “Nigeria has always strongly advocated for a reform of the global governing institutions, and often presented its impressive credentials as a strong contender for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.”
President Tinubu is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit in advancement of Nigeria’s socio-economic reforms.
He was accompanied by top government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha; Minister of Art, Tourism, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.