Buhari Returns From OIC Summit In Saudi Arabia

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday returned to Nigeria from Saudi Arabia where he went to attend the Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, in Makkah.

President Buhari left Nigeria on Thursday last week to attend the 14th session of the Summit Conference of the OIC, which held on Friday, May 31 and hosted by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

President Muhammadu Buhari at the 14th Islamic Summit in Makkah Saudi Arabia
The Summit convened under the theme, “Makkah al-Mukarramah Summit: Hand in Hand toward the Future,” was attended by Heads of State and Governments of Member States.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu had explained that the Summit was aimed at developing a unified stance on events in the Islamic world.

President Buhari at the conference addressed the forum on the need for member countries to unite and work together to combat common challenges such as terrorism and violent extremism.

He passed a vote of confidence on the intervention programmes of the various institutions under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the impact they are making on Nigeria and other African countries.

President Buhari, who read the collective statement of African countries at the 14th Summit of the OIC in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, commended the robust interventions of the Islamic Development Bank, IDB, in key sectors such as agriculture, trade and investment.

In a statement he read at the Summit the President had said:

“The robust interventions of the various OIC Institutions and principally the Islamic Development Bank Group, have been effective in such key sectors as trade and investment, agriculture, rural development and food security, science, technology and innovation, poverty alleviation as well as women and youth empowerment.’’

In the specific case of Nigeria, the President acknowledged the support of OIC Member States in countering the menace of terrorism and armed criminality in West Africa, the Lake Chad area and the Sahel Countries.

President Buhari’s aircraft touched ground at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja at about 5:30pm.